No Pretty Other Side
by ZomMama612
Summary: Can Annabeth James and Daryl Dixon face life together after the destruction of their penitentiary home and their family being scattered to the four winds? Will proximity make them cling together or fall a part? read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I own nithing but Annbeth James this story will be weaved through with the current story line Annabeth's presence in the group will be later explained. I own nothing but AB please don't sue its merely for entertainment no copy right infringement intended. Nor is any profit made. Please leave a review if you enjoyed.-Zommama612**

She stood at the fence, watching Rick talk to the Governor in the field. Beth and Maggie to her right, Daryl to her left. He'd just handed her a rifle and more bolts for her crossbow. Her adrenaline was racing and her heart was ready to explode from her chest. She watched as the Governor brought the katana back and sliced Hershel in the neck. She screamed along with Maggie and Beth. The moment Rick opened fire, she too followed with shots of her own. She wasn't sure how long they were retaliating, how much ammo she spent, but the fighting continued. Round after round, clip after clip. She saved the bolts for close combat. Bullets were the only things they needed right now.

She urged Maggie and Beth to start gathering people up for the bus. It was going to get heavier real fast as she saw the tank start to roll. The group from the fence separated. She covered Beth and Maggie as the loaded people on the bus. She watched Daryl return fire from a distance.

And to think, the morning of all this, she'd felt safe, felt that they'd finally worked to achieve a sense of home. They weren't fools of course, threats were always imminent, but being at the prison was so different.

A round from the tank shattered the wall of the prison just above her head, bringing Annabeth James from her thoughts. Chunks of the building collapsed around her, barely missing her.

"Son of a bitch." She screamed. Annabeth continued to return fire as she maneuvered around the debris. The Governor's men continued to close in and she'd taken out one...two...three immediately. The tank had advanced through the last fence and came to a halt right in front of her. Annabeth saw Daryl take out two of the Governor's men on his side as she took cover from stray bullets.

Walkers were closing in on them from all sides and she needed to think on her feet. Dropping the riffle, she pulled her long blade from her side and stabbed the closest walker in the forehead, bringing it down. The next thing she knew, she was thrown to the ground from and explosion from the tank.

Flames and smoke were spewing from the heavy vehicle as she stood. Her feet were wobbly and her vision was skewed, but she was able to move. Virtually unscathed, with walkers closing in on the tank from the noise of the explosion, Annabeth began stepping away, limping slightly. Through clouded eyes, she watched Daryl take off in a run and she knew that she needed to get out of where she was. If he was gone, it was time to go.

Walkers followed her as she ran for her life, out of the prison and into the woods. She ran in the general direction that she'd seen Daryl run off in, hoping she'd catch up with him. There was no going back, no looking back. The home she'd had was gone. Demolished by an evil man with one agenda, to rule Georgia and all the survivors who'd existed; surrounded by walkers. Hershel was gone. Rick had attacked the Governor and that was all she could remember seeing. And now, she was chasing a ghost trail.

With her limp, she wasn't gaining much speed or distance from the group of walkers that were following her. She needed to figure out something and fast. She had enough bolts left in her bow to take out half the pack. The rest she'd have to pray she could survive by using her long blade. She sprinted a few minutes longer to gain distance and stopped, turning on her heel, raising her bow to fire. One down, again two down. Eight were down quickly before she had to use her knife. Her adrenaline was rushing, her veins and muscles on fire. She stabbed them as they came on her, eliminating the group.

With walkers now dead around her, she breathed heavily as she was coming down from her rush. Annabeth looked at the area around her. It was quiet. No walkers that she could hear or see. She gathered her used bolts and loaded them in her crossbow. It was time to keep going. She searched for footsteps. Searched for a sign of the direction he'd gone. She wasn't as skilled as he was in tracking but from what little she picked up from her grandfather when she was younger, she could get by or at least track food. Something that came in handy since the world had gone to shit.

Kneeling near boot prints she followed her line of sight and sighed. "Alright Dixon, let's find you." She whispered.

It was hot, humid, and she had nothing but her boots, jeans and two tank tops. Nothing but the clothes on her back and her two weapons. Her shoulder length blonde hair stuck to the back of her neck. She was covered in sweat, dirt and blood.. Her green eyes burned from the sweat and tears. Tears she'd shed over Hershel's death that seemed ages ago but was only an hour at most. Pushing the memory back, she picked up her pace as she noticed there were walker tracks now mixed in with Daryl's. If he was surrounded, he'd need help. She couldn't let him die. Not like this. If he'd become one of them, well...she didn't want to think about that. Daryl was too tough of an . to go down like that.

It wasn't long before she'd come across downed walkers and knew she was still following the right trail. There were holes in their heads that matched a knife and bolt, not a gun. There was at least a scuffle and Annabeth hoped Daryl was okay. She followed his trail to a clearing where the grass was high and the trees no more than six feet tall. She knew better than to just run into a thicket like that. She needed to be cautious.

Bringing her crossbow up in firing position, her finger on the trigger, she carefully and slowly stepped into the tall grasses of the clearing. Her pace was methodical, timed, her tread soft. If there were anything hidden, she would be ready. Night was coming and she hoped to find Daryl or someone at the point soon. If not, she'd make a small fire and stay up all night, waiting for dawn before moving on again.

Annabeth heard heavy breathing and coughing as she neared the middle of the clearing when suddenly it stopped. She heard a noise to her left and swung her scope in that direction. The only thing she saw was the tip of another bow, arrow loaded.

"AB?" He asked, his drawl quiet.

"Shit." Annabeth let out the breath she'd been holding. "I saw you take off and I hoped I'd find you."

Daryl Dixon lowered his crossbow and let out a breath of his own. His hair stuck to his face, sweat dripping from the tips, he was covered in grime just as much as she was. "You okay?" He asked.

She nodded and gave him a quick once over. "You?" He only nodded. He wasn't a man of many words but she knew how he got his points across. His blue eyes always told his story. "We should make a fire. Get out of this clearing.

-/-/-/-

"You think we're it?" Her voice was soft, comfortingly quiet. Daryl hadn't said much since she'd found him. AB chalked it up to processing everything that had gone on. "We can't be. I saw the bus take off. They had to have made it. Did you see Rick or Carl? Michonne?" Still he said nothing. As Annabeth looked at him over the flames, she could see a black ring forming around his right eye. "We can start tracking now. It's nearly dawn. The bus went East, it's a good start." He finally looked at her. Hope was lost in his eyes. "Fine. Stay here sulking. The Daryl I know, he wouldn't give up that fast anymore. Don't check out on me now."

She waited for him to make a suggestion, to even agree with her. Maybe even tell her that they needed a new plan, to move on away from everything but no words came. Just a blank stare. "Fine." AB huffed and stood from her spot. "You always said you were better on your own. I just didn't think you believed it anymore."

And just as quickly as the one sided conversation began, it was over. He watched her thin frame retreat into the darkness, her knife in hand, crossbow across her back. Deep down he couldn't let her go off on her own. Sure she knew how to track, but time and time again in the past, he'd proven to be better. Reluctantly, he stood, kicked dirt into the flames and followed Annabeth, crossbow in hand.

He followed not far behind her until dawn came. They were headed East as they walked through the woods, side by side, not even ten feet apart. AB to Daryl's left, following a set of prints and him following another. He stopped suddenly, dusting the fallen leaves away from the foot prints. AB came up from behind, hand on her long blade that was strapped to her right thigh, bow still slung across her back.

"That's promising." AB noted. "They seem to go at a normal pace. Evenly, spread out. They could be alive."

Her optimism wasn't giving him hope, more the opposite. "No. It means they were alive four or five hours ago."

AB looked surveyed the area around them. She didn't see anything displaced as a sign of struggle, everything looked as normal as it could. Then her eyes saw a tuft of fur on a log nearby. She walked to the decaying tree and saw two dead bunnies inside. "Something was here. The guys are still bleeding out." Daryl joined her and saw the two bunnies, ears cut up, throats slashed.

"It was a knife that did it." Daryl explained. "Small one too." He now stood tall observing the area. "Let's go."

AB followed him and before long, she'd taken point again, not feeling the safest bringing up the rear. They followed the the same trial of foot prints onto a worn path leading into some fruit baring bushes. Noticing the berries on the bushes, she figured she'd pick some for them to eat that night if they were still stuck without shelter. Daryl veered slightly to the left as he found a change in the pace of the prints.

"They picked up the pace right here." He pointed out to some fallen and crushed berries on the ground. "Got out in a hurry. Things went bad."

"Would it kill you to think otherwise? Faith can get you a long way." Annabeth shot at him. If it was one thing she learned growing up aside from hunting and fending for herself, it was faith. Her grandparents taught her to believe even when life was at it's lowest point. Losing her mother to the plaguing cancer, then her grandmother to Alzheimer's, then her beloved grandfather to a heart attack, she'd had plenty of reasons to give up on faith, yet she never did. Not even when her father became a monster in many ways did she give up faith, hope that she'd survive.

"Ya, faith." He scoffed. "Faith ain't done shit for us. Sure as hell didn't do nothing for Hershel." His words cut her in a way she hadn't thought they could. Hershel reminded her a lot of her grandfather. Annabeth had shared with Hershel a lot about her grandfather and he'd taken to her like a granddaughter. His death was horrifying to watch.

"That's not fair." Annabeth scoffed.

Knowing he'd hit a soft spot, Daryl immediately regretted the words the moment they escaped. When Merle died, Annabeth shared a few stories about her grandfather to help bring his spirits up. Daryl had heard a few fireside chats too among the Greene family and herself. AB just stared at him, eyes welling but keeping her composure. She swallowed hard as he turned to meet her gaze. He looked at her sadly, his eyes soon faltering and shifting from the ground and back to her. Remorse was written on his face, but the words 'I'm sorry' couldn't leave his lips.

The moment AB looked away, his eyes had become trained on the distance. He watched her as she frantically plucked the berries from the bush. "These will come in handy later." She spoke softly, not trusting her voice any louder.

As Daryl watched, he pulled his bandanna from his pocket. "AB." He wanted her attention.

"Don't." She snapped. He reached out to her with the bandanna, tapping her on the arm with it. AB took a deep breath and looked to him over her shoulder, taking the fabric from his hand. She nodded in a silent thanks as she began placing the fruit inside, wrapping it up and putting it in her pocket.

Daryl turned on his heel to the direction the aggressive tracks moved. AB slowly began to follow. He looked back a couple of times to make sure she was still there. In a way he couldn't describe or cared to put much thought into it, he couldn't afford to lose her either. Losing Merle, in a way was karma, and Carol being removed from the group was something he was still processing, but if Annabeth were gone, he'd have nothing left. Especially now with the group torn apart. The two walked side by side a ways before coming across two dead walker bodies. Daryl stepped ahead slightly, noticing blood on the nearby sapling.

"Blood." AB stated.

"It ain't walker blood." He replied in his gruff voice.

"The trail keeps going that direction." She said, stepping over the two walkers and moving forward just slightly. "Someone put 'em down." Her tone was cold and distant. She was still upset over Daryl's words about Hershel.

Daryl shook his head. "No, got walker tracks all up and down here, at least a dozen of 'em."

AB heard rustling in the trees nearby and instinctively readied her bow. Daryl was investigating the tracks, ready to fire if needed with his crossbow. He turned just in time to see the walker grab Annabeth from behind, her bow falling to the ground.

"Annabeth!" He called out as he ran to her.

There was too much movement at close range to fire the crossbow so he threw it to the side and grabbed the walker by the shoulders as AB struggled to against it. Daryl threw the walker to the ground, his knife in hand, not able to strike. He looked to AB for help as he rolled the walker and himself onto their backs, giving AB the prefect vantage point to stab the walker in the head. She pulled her long blade from it's sheath at her hip, charging for Daryl and the walking. She struck dead center in the walkers forehead.

Breathing heavily, Daryl threw the walker to the side and stood up, panting. His adrenaline rushing as he looked to AB and back at the walker, then to AB again. A knowing glance shared between the two said thank you.

Puffing his cheeks out with a huff, he grabbed his crossbow from the leaves. "Did it scratch you?" He asked, giving her a quick once over. Annabeth shook her head, although she was visibly shaken. With a nod, Daryl continued to move. "Come on." And they were yet again on the trail they'd hoped would lead them to survivors.

Walking a ways further, they came across some railroad tracks, stopping short as they came upon a gruesome sight. Just ahead, fifteen feet in front of them were walkers, but these weren't just any walkers, they looked to be people they knew from the prison. Survivors who'd succumbed to death, reanimation. Annabeth felt overwhelming defeat wash over her. The realization that the fight never ended. It was supposed to be the norm after this long, however there was something viscerally terrifying about watching one decaying body consume the other. No soul, just automatic reflexes. The disease, virus, problem, whatever one wanted to call it, still lived within all of them. And that was something that continuously lived in the back of her head. Seeing the group before her, it reminded her that through all of her inner darkness, the shit she'd been through, she could be one of them in a moments notice.

Daryl drew his crossbow and fired upon those whom were feeding among the bodies, stabbing one in the head. Keeping close to his side, Annabeth began recognizing the faces of those gone. Most were from the Woodbury group. A lump swelled in her throat as she looked to Daryl who turned away and stepped a few steps forward from her. They had kept these people safe for months. Away from the controlling monster who ruled their safe haven. Only now to lose them to this. She'd grown close to that group of refugees, chatting with them over cooking with Carol, listening to stories of what they'd been doing prior to the end of the world.

AB took in a deep ragged breath through her nose, releasing it just as shaky through her mouth. Tears pooled in her eyes again as she fought the sobs threatening to escape. This was now too much. It had all come to a head here and now. But while the emotions waited to explode from her, she looked at Daryl as he turned to her. He didn't know what to do, she could read him that easily. They were equally lost with one another.

Attempting to compose herself by taking quick deep breaths, she watched him walk a little bit farther ahead. As if he were almost giving her the space she needed. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her, turning just slightly. She nodded and moved forward, ignoring the pile of walkers and victims beside her.

Another night fell upon them, now a full day since having to run from safety, from home. Annabeth and Daryl found a small clearing to make camp for the night along the tracks. Using small twigs as kindling for a fire, they sat, on opposite sides of the flames, just staring blankly into them. Defeat was written on both of their faces.

AB wouldn't admit it, not now, but maybe Daryl was right, faith hadn't done anything useful for them. And hope was losing ground with her as well, even if she said otherwise. Her grandfather would be so disappointed if he could hear her thoughts now. Looking to the sky, she could feel the sadness consume her again. Rather than opening that door again, she sighed raggedly and spoke softly, "Do you mind if I rest a bit?"

Daryl looked at her again, this time with sympathy, but said nothing. "G'ahead." He said. She looked ragged, he probably looked just as bad. No sleep, the stress of their current life it was wearing on both of them.

"Wake me if you need me." Sliding to her side slowly, AB used her arm as a pillow, still keeping her face towards the flames. She kept an eye on Daryl until sleep came over her.

He watched her for a bit, making sure she slept soundly. He'd done it a few times before. They really had one another's backs. Bonding at times when he was reluctant to let people in. One time in particular had been when Andrea had shot him. According to Dale, Annabeth had seen the whole thing. She knew it was him that Andrea was shooting at but before she could say anything, she'd already pulled the trigger. Annabeth had been so worried about him that she'd stayed in his room all night, sitting uncomfortably in a chair, much to his annoyance. But she wouldn't let it go.

At the time he wasn't ready to feel accepted, to feel as if he had a family. But Annabeth was one to never give up on him. Again, something he wasn't used to. It wasn't that he didn't want to return the favor, it was that he didn't know how. He wasn't raised right. Not in the sense of emotions or knowing how to care for people that weren't blood. An abusive father, a mother who'd smoked and drank so much, she'd burnt the house down. He was stuck with Merle bringing him up and that proved to be the worse way to grow up. Sure he'd been taught useful things like hunting and tracking. He knew the Georgia woods better than anyone. But he was also taught that people who weren't blood, white, or spoke English, among other things were the scum and that Dixons needed no one but themselves.

He was thankful to have patient people like Rick, Carol, Hershel and the rest of the group to be there for him along the way. He was thankful for the first time for people like that. He wasn't ready to show his emotions just yet. It took his entire life to learn the opposite, behavior like that sure wasn't going to change overnight. But the baby steps were in place. Moving away from his thoughts, he turned back to AB.

Her face was glowing as the flames hovered between them. She looked peaceful but then her face began contorting into frowns and her lips trembled. He wanted to wake her up, but he knew better than to wake her from dreams. She was the type to sleep armed. He just wasn't sure why. If he really needed to wake her, eventually he would. But for now, he'd just let her sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The sunlight felt warm on her face as she inhaled deeply. The clean country air had always made her feel at home. Moving from Barton Hollow to Birmingham took that away from her. But it's what they had to do for Mama. She needed the best medical care that they could or couldn't really afford and that was in Birmingham. Now, back on her grandparents farm, Annabeth felt peace wash over her. It had been a long few days but the end was coming. This was where Mama wanted to be when she went. She had fought a tough battle the last few years. She'd been sick as long as AB could remember.

The old wrap around porch creaked under her bare feet as she walked around from doorway to the steps leading to the walkway. Leaning on the column, she watched the horses run through the field in the distance. The squeak of the screen door brought Annabeth from her trance. She felt a warm and gentle hand on her shoulder.

"She's ready for you AB." Her grandfather spoke softly. That only meant one thing, her mother was ready to say goodbye. The time had come. A sad nod was given in response as AB turned on her heel and headed inside.

Walking down the hall, she smiled as she passed pictures of her mother as a child, a teen, on her wedding day. Her smile changed to a frown as she stood before her father, just outside her mother's room. Moving past him, she stepped into the cool room. A nice breeze flowed from the open window, lightly moving the curtains. Her grandmother, frail in her own right at her old age, sat next to her dying daughter. Holding her hand tightly.

"I'll take over Grams." Annabeth smiled softly. The woman, who resembled what AB thought her mother would look like in at her age, stood. Her white hair pulled back tightly in a bun at the nape of her neck, her green eyes puffy from tears. She smiled and kissed her daughter on the forehead before giving Annabeth a kiss on her cheek.

AB sat on the edge of her mother's bed, holding her hand in hers. "I'm here Mama." She spoke quietly. Her mother's eyes fluttered open slowly. They seemed so vacant, like the emerald color they once were had lost their glow. Her scarf that covered her bald head shifted slightly and AB moved to fix it.

"I love you." Lynn said softly. Her breathing was slow and shallow. AB tried to hush her but she insisted on continuing. "I want ya to be strong. I want ya to be brave. Your Papa taught ya how to get by on your own." She coughed before continuing. "I'm sorry for the days I can't be around for. Your wedding, your babies." AB squeezed back the tears in her eyes.

"It's okay Mama. I know you'll be there." Sixteen year old Annabeth smiled through the tears.

"I want ya to promise me baby, I want you to get out of that house. Stay here with your grandparents. When ya get ready to go off to college, ya don't look back. You go to college, ya here?"

"Alright Mama. I promise." She knew what her mother had been referring to. She needed to get away from her father. Lynn could only do so much for a short amount of time in protecting her. She'd always had her suspicions and wouldn't dare, even as her dying wish, let that man continue to care for her daughter.

Annabeth sat with her mother as the sun began to set. Lynn's breathing had become more shallow with every passing minute. She held her daughter's hand as tight as her weakened self could. It hadn't been long since AB had sat down next to her. And as she watched her mother take her last breath, she let silent tears fall. It was over, she no longer needed to fight. That was the blessing for AB and her family. The loss of life, the curse.

AB left her mother's side, placing her hand beside her. Tearfully, she walked to the open window and looked out once again at the vast property. It was quiet, too quiet. The birds had stopped chirping, the wind ceased blowing. But then her ears picked up the faint sounds of breathing. It wasn't her own breath, it seemed too dry, gargled. She looked over her shoulder back at her mother's bedside and saw the woman sitting up in bed, eyes clouded over and mouth curled up in a snarl. Her mother's corpse was on her before she could move and Annabeth let out a whimper.

Daryl heard the whimpers grow louder, knowing he had to do something before they resulted in screams. Screams that would attract walkers. He took a knee beside her and shook her gently.

Annabeth woke with a startled jerk and immediately pulled her long blade on him. He grabbed hold of her wrist until he came into her focus. His shadowed frame loomed over her. Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, she spoke. "Shit, I'm so sorry." She brushed her bangs from her eyes, her long blade dropping to the ground in front of her. "Bad dream."

"It's alright." Daryl now sat next to her. "I just to rest."

Annabeth nodded and stood to give Daryl room to lie down. With dawn approaching, AB knew Daryl wasn't really going to sleep for long. It amazed her how he could just close his eyes and rest for nearly thirty minutes and be ready to go. There wasn't much she could do but rekindle the fire and stand for a decent stretch. Eyeing a tree close by that would allow her to keep an eye on Daryl and get a view of the area, she decided to scale it. She only had to go about halfway up to see nearly a quarter mile out. From her perch, walkers weren't easily spotted in the low light, but what she did she was a the outline of a large boxy shadow. Something that could be easily recognizable as a trailer. She scoffed lightly. If they had just kept going, they wouldn't have had to sleep in the cool night.

In the far distance, the sun was starting to rise. The warm rays trying to penetrate the cool air. Taking in a deep breath, she enjoyed watching the sun paint the sky beautiful pinks, purples and blues. It was the closest thing to peace in this horrid world. As the sun rose higher, she trained her eyes on the darkened box she'd seen before. It was just as she had thought, shelter. The rays began glistening on the old tin roof of the trailer. "Home sweet home at least for another night."

Climbing down, she moved to wake the sleeping country boy. "Daryl." She whispered and lightly touched him on his bare arm. He jerked awake himself, however, kept his weapons at bay. "I think I found something, come on."

He had no choice but to follow her. Grabbing his bow, he let her lead him through the woods. They hadn't traveled far before coming up on Annabeth's discovery. He grabbed her shoulder to stop her from approaching the trailer too fast. It looked abandoned but they both know from experience that looks could be deceiving.

Daryl took point now, silently motioning for AB to head to the left of the trailer while he went right. They knew to meet at the door and by the looks of the area so far, there wasn't much to the place. Whomever lived there before, didn't have much and was possibly reclusive. A turned over lawn chair was twenty feet from the door, the fake grass carpet dirtied and worn out provided the welcome mat.

Daryl indicated he'd be the first in the door. AB reached for the latch, bow ready. Daryl held his knife, knowing that as first in, the bow wouldn't be useful in such an enclosed space. Annabeth slowly pulled the latch until it opened with a click. The door opened and Daryl moved in. He looked from his left to his right, not seeing anything unusual or any walkers. He signaled for Annabeth to enter behind him as he checked the bathroom and the bedroom of the double wide.

It was one of the smaller double wide trailers he'd been in, but it reminded him of home, a place he wasn't exactly always happy to be. For Annabeth, the cramped space was just shy of too many memories. Memories that weren't good by any means. Up until sixteen, she'd lived in one about this size, with two rooms, making it even smaller. It made her insides immediately cry out for the freedom of outside, the open space of her grandparents' farm, it too now a distant memory.

Stepping outside quickly, Annabeth surveyed the area around the trailer. No walkers in sight just yet. But that didn't mean they weren't out there. She fixed the over turned chair and took a seat. Daryl stepped out of the front door and joined her.

"It's clean. Picked over by whoever lived here or scavengers." He informed her.

She nodded. "Bummer. I thought we'd get something. At least it's shelter for the night. We could try and find some game and get some decent rest. Pick up the trail of the bus tomorrow." She turned to look over her shoulder at him from her position in the chair. "You should rest, you look like shit."

A small smirk spread across his lips. "Nah, we need food. I ain't letting ya go out alone."

It was her turn to smirk. "Alright. Lead the way."

Their haul wasn't much but it was enough to get them through the night. Berries weren't much of a hold over and now they had squirrel. AB hadn't been fond of the local game growing up but her grandfather always said that if you can shoot a squirrel, you can shoot anything. So as sad as it was sometimes, AB and Lonney used them as target practice. She enjoyed deer, turkey, dove and waterfowl, but the furry varmint were too greasy for her. However, nowadays, she'd take whatever was put in front of her. That and Daryl had a way of cooking them over the fire just right making it bearable.

The silence between them had become too much. Daryl was never a man of too many words but the last few days had been beyond his usual quiet. Deciding to take charge of a conversation, AB spoke up, "I'm glad we found this place. It gives me the creeps but it's better than the dirt and leaves."

"Yep." Daryl nodded. "I lived in these my whole life."

"I did until my mom died. Then it was the wide open spaces of the farm." Annabeth's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of a farm. The glow from their fire made it visible to Daryl. "God, I miss that place."

He knew that her grandparents owned a farm in Alabama before the outbreak, but that was about all he knew. Annabeth was much like him, quiet, full of a past that she wasn't so willing to share. But it molded her and made her who she was. He found himself wondering if her past helped her in the world now or if she grew harder as the world collapsed. In his case it sure helped him be able to survive in the world the way it was now. He had Merle to thank for that. It was about the only thing he had Merle to thank for.

"You should get some rest." Daryl urged. AB shook her head.

"I can take watch first. I rested more last night." She argued. "Go ahead. I'll sit here."

"A'right." He sighed. Taking his bow as he stood, he left her by the fire.

Making herself comfortable in the lawn chair, gazing over the fire into the open field beyond, Annabeth tuned in to nature and all the sounds the night brought with it.

Inside the trailer, Daryl set his crossbow on the built in dinette. He took in his surroundings. It was definitely a lot like his trailer he shared with Merle when he was around and not in the joint. Two rooms, a kitchen no bigger than Dale's in the motor home and the dinette. It wasn't really a double wide, he supposed, more like a travel trailer with a slide out. Either way, it was a bed to sleep in. For the first time in a couple of days, he'd been able to look at himself in the mirror as he made his way to the back bedroom. He first took his leather vest off and then his button down sleeveless shirt. He wanted to give himself a good once over to make sure there were no scratches or deep cuts. His adrenaline had been rushing so often since the Governor attacked that he hadn't felt anything off or different. Aside from the normal dirt, blood and grime, he seemed alright. What he wouldn't give for some running water to wipe down. It's a luxury these days.

He turned to look at his back, his scars catching his eye for the countless time in life. They disgusted him, they hurt him. They still reminded him of every lashing. And now they brought on a new memory. One of his brother and they day he discovered them. It also reminded him that it was the day he chose a new family over that of blood. He brought his shirt back over his shoulders, returning the vest too. He wasn't about to strip down in someone else's bed for more than just comfortable reasons. The clothes on his back and his bow were all he had now. His brother's bike gone, the last piece of that life left behind. His poncho and other belongings he'd collected over the recent months discarded. There would be no going back now. It was only forward from here.

Tomorrow he and AB would head back to the tracks and continue East. It was the only thing they could do. It was time to start over. If they could find anyone from the group it'd be a miracle. And those he believed in less. Just as he was about to shut his eyes, Annabeth threw the door open to the trailer and slammed it shut, starting him. Instinctively, he grabbed his bow, finger on the trigger.

"HERD!" She whispered loudly and terrified.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I own nothing but AB. Drop a review if you like it! ZomMama612**

* * *

"Where the hell'd they come from?" Daryl whispered as he looked out the window. The moonlight was the only light they had through the windows of the trailer.

"The way we came." AB said quietly. "What are we going to do? I can't tell how big it is, it's the noise that gave it away."

"Sit tight, and shut up." Daryl hushed her. She nodded. They sat with their backs to the wall by the door, armed and ready. Neither had enough bolts to put the herd down. Keeping quiet was their only shot of going undetected.

Closer and closer the herd of walkers approached. AB tried to steady her breathing as she heard their gurgling and dry breaths coming closer. Her mind raced back to the first herd they encountered on the roadside before the Greene farm. This was much bigger. Maybe even the same size that attacked the Greene farm. There would be no way they'd make it out alive. She'd hoped it wasn't that big. Soon the herd was upon them. They bumped into the walls of the trailer as some passed. Thud after thud came the sounds. As AB and Daryl sat as still as possible, and as quiet as they could, walkers surrounded the trailer.

By now, with the shear amount of noise surrounding them, it was obvious to Daryl that the herd knew they were in there. Sudden clawing at the windows above his head confirmed his suspicions. "We gotta go." He told Annabeth.

"Shit." Annabeth breathed heavily now out of fear. "We don't know how many there are. How the hell are we going to get outta here?"

"The bathroom. There's a skylight." Daryl stood quickly just as a walker began gnawing at the window. "C'mon, now!" He grabbed AB and pulled her into the bathroom. Standing on the toilet, he managed to use the butt of his bow to pop the skylight out. A loud crash of glass breaking came in from the front room. They were inside and now the clock was ticking. "I'm going to boost you outta there and then I'll be behind you."

Annabeth nodded. She didn't like the idea but it was all they had to go on and she trusted Daryl. She stood on the toilet for leverage as Daryl clasped his hands together to hoist her up. Lifting her though the small opening, she pushed herself onto the roof of the trailer. He handed her both crossbows before hoisting himself up through the hole. It had been just in time too as the walkers were beating down the bathroom door for their next meal.

Annabeth looked in the direction the heard had been coming from and while it wasn't the largest group she's seen it by far was still dangerous. "We can't go back the way we came." She pointed out in the distance as the moon lit up the field.

"Then we gotta go there." Daryl pointed to the woods. "You jump, I'll cover you."

"What, no." Annabeth argued. She was already seeing the ground below and walkers had begun to close in on the backside of the trailer.

"We don't go now, we ain't ever gettin' outta here." Daryl urged. "Go girl, don't be stupid."

"Fuck!" AB grunted. She looked for a small clearing in the crowd and jumped. She immediately begun firing bolts into the darkness. "Daryl, NOW!" She called out as she collected her bolts, holstering them in her back pocket. There was no time to reload. She'd have to go in hand to hand with her long blade and hope for the best.

She made some leeway only to see Daryl jump from the rooftop. He landed hard to the ground. Trying to make her way to him, walkers started coming around the sides of the trailer in bigger groups. He made it to his feet as she reached him. "Go, I got you, go." He shouted at her and she took off running as he started putting walkers down himself. Soon there were too many on him and AB had to do the only thing she knew she could do. Go back for him. Firing her last bolt into the walker that had Daryl on his back, she grabbed his arm and pulled him up quickly.

"Not tonight jackass." She commented to the downed walker.

There was no time to check over one another. They had to run and run hard again. Dawn was around the corner and that would give them more light. The moon skewed the shadows of the trees and things beyond. If the herd wasn't chasing them, then there would be strays they'd have to worry about and visibility was poor.

When Daryl felt they were a safe distance from the herd, he slowed down. His smoking lungs hated the burning that was going on inside of him. They'd been running for at least five or six miles. He collapsed to his knees, Annabeth beside him, vomiting the squirrel from dinner.

"We need to find water." She mentioned as she coughed up the last bits of meat. Unattractively spitting the bile from her mouth she sat down.

Daryl knew what they needed. Water was definitely the top priority now. Being as far as they were from the prison, which wasn't very, they were near a river. The name he couldn't recall at the moment but water was close by. Maybe another five miles. "There's a river maybe another five miles in that direction." He finally spoke, pointing in the direction they'd been running. "We're far from the tracks but if we hit the river, we can double back after moving down river a few miles."

AB nodded. "I thought you were gone." She sighed, standing and dusting herself off. She offered a hand to him and he took it gently.

He scoffed a little and shrugged. "I'm a'right."

"At least let me check you over. They got you down pretty good." Annabeth noticed his leather vest was ripped. His shirt could have been too. She reached out to touch his shoulder and he shrugged her away.

"I said I'm fine." He snapped and started walking, adjusting his bow over his shoulder. Annabeth huffed and shook her head.

'_Still so stubborn_.' She thought.

As they walked, Daryl would look over his shoulder at her. 'Why can't she just leave well enough alone.' He thought. 'I ain't sharin' shit.' There was only one other person who knew about his markings and that person was gone. Head bashed in, eyes dead, body rotting.

The sun was up at a good point by the time they reached the river Daryl had mentioned. Taking a good look around, there were signs of people recently being there, not walkers.

"There's tracks that lead back that way. The way we gotta go. We can either follow 'em or head down river a bit before cutting across." Daryl said, showing AB the prints. There were three different sets. At least one male, maybe two females or children.

"It could be survivors from the prison." AB concluded.

Daryl shrugged. "We can rest here a bit and drink up. Get cleaned up."

Those were words were music to her hears. Rinsing off the last few days sounded so pleasant. She rounded some bushes and sat down at the water's edge. She looked over her shoulder to see if Daryl could see her. He couldn't. Removing her crossbow from her back and her long blade from her side, she kicked off her boots, took her socks off and rolled up her pant legs. Sliding her toes slowing into the cool running water felt like such a relief. Annabeth let out a long, deep sigh as the water rejuvenated her feet. A smirk spread across her lips as she shucked her first top and dunked it into the stream, using it as a rag to wipe herself down with. Slowly, carefully, savoring each body part as she got rid of the grit and grime. This was the closest thing to heaven at the moment and she was enjoying it.

Rinsing her first top and setting it on the larger rock beside her to dry, she now removed her second tank, a camisole, to rinse. She sat on the river bank in her jeans, rolled up to her knees and her bra. It used to fit her decently but with the weight loss, she was lucky she still had the chest she was graced with. Enjoying the moment of peace, Annabeth sat quietly, listening to the water and sounds of nature. She'd always had a good ear for it, but now with the way life was, she'd become more attuned to out of the ordinary noises.

As Annabeth cleaned up, Daryl kept a mild watch on the area. He was damn tired. That last run did him in. He was used to lack of sleep by now. The last year and a half it seemed had drug on and felt like ten years. Deciding there was no imminent threat, Daryl set his bow down beside him and sat on the white gravel. He took his vest off, observing the damage. The walkers had grabbed at him pretty good like AB had mentioned. The wings on the back were torn to bits, rendering the material useless. It was Merle's vest. It never fit him well anyway but having it was having that last part of his brother. Daryl wasn't one for sentimental things, at least he didn't used to be, but now, when you're the only one left, your mindset changes a bit. He set the vest aside, next to the bow. Looking over his shoulder, he didn't see Annabeth and figured he could at least rinse his arms off and wet his shirt.

Unbuttoning the sleeveless plaid shirt, he made haste at removing it, getting the fabric wet and wringing it out. He used the bottom of it to wipe his arms down, then his chest and neck before moving to his face. He set the garment on his knee and splashed the cool and refreshing water over his features. It felt good to feel the water, to breath it in, to taste it.

He never heard her coming. She startled him and he drew his knife on her. "You've had those a while." She had said.

'Stupid.' He cursed himself. "Ain't none of your business." He bit at her as he rushed to stand and redress.

"Let me just make sure you're not scratched." She wasn't backing down.

"Back off Annabeth." Daryl fought. He shrugged her hands away and finished buttoning his shirt.

"When are you going to stop with that shit? Letting people in isn't such a bad thing." Annabeth bit back. This was going to get ugly and fast. "People care about you and you need to stop being such a pain in the ass and accept it!"

"I mean it. Shut the hell up." He wasn't going to give up.

"Look, I'm sorry for what Rick did to Carol, but she wasn't the only one who cares. I...we all care about you, about one another. I thought you were getting better with that. We all have scars. Some more recent than others. Others while you can't see them, they're still there." She spoke quickly, emotionally and with an exasperated sigh, she began walking in the direction he'd suggested earlier.


	4. Chapter 4

Moving along the river bank, Daryl let Annabeth walk ahead. It was obvious that she was still irritated from earlier. He just didn't understand what the big deal was. If he said he was fine, he was fine. If he'd been scratched or bit in the scuffle, he knew well enough to either do something about it or let her know. He made the mistake of exposing himself like he had. His scars were his weakness in character. He was ashamed of them, embarrassed. Broken. It took a lot for him to get his tattoos there, although being shit faced drunk helped too. He wasn't going to apologize for his behavior. Never had to before, so no need to start now. He did however, realize that she was right about one thing. There were people who cared. The whole core group all cared for one another.

It was evident when Glenn protested Merle joining the group. Glenn's family was right in front of him meaning himself, Maggie, Rick, AB. Daryl had walked away from that. He knew it was a mistake and why he went back. Looking for Sophia wasn't something he needed to do, he wanted to do it. He cared. And, Annabeth was right, he cared when Rick kicked Carol out for killing Karen and David. He cared about his people, his core group of people. Carol, Annabeth, all of them. Slumping his shoulders, feeling slightly defeated he picked up his pace to walk with her.

"You're right, I do care. If we're going to survive, even if we don't find the group, we have to survive together. Together, we can get by."

"If we are going to be the only ones in this group who make it, then you have to learn that I am only looking out for us. If you go down, I only stand half the chance." Annabeth was trying her best to apologize without directly saying it. Something she could sense Daryl was doing as well. She got the feel the words 'I'm sorry' weren't used much in his vocabulary. She knew she cared for him. To what degree she wasn't exactly sure but there were feelings there. "Truce?" Daryl smirked slightly and nodded.

They continued on their current path, along the river, for just a few more miles before turning towards the woods. Continuing through the woods, they moved East. The herd had thrown them off course by at least half a day and the railroad tracks had been just beyond the tree line when they'd stopped the night they'd found the trailer. Again, they were losing daylight and would need to stop eventually. It had been decently quiet so far during the trek, not a walker in site. But that soon changed as they came across a few stragglers.

Daryl took them down quickly and Annabeth followed now behind, watching for more. As dusk drew nearer, the two wanderers needed to make camp. The night seemed cooler than the last two, but a bigger fire would mean more attraction to those lurking in the shadows. Once the small flames were going, Annabeth sat down as close as she could get before going up in flames herself. Daryl had the first watch again of the night, but it was still early and Annabeth wasn't ready to rest. She moved to speak but instead Daryl managed to start the conversation.

"I...what did you mean earlier...about scars." While things had smoothed over from earlier at the river bank, he was still stuck on what she'd said about his scars. He leaned against a nearby tree.

Annabeth shrugged. "Everyone has 'em. They're not always on the surface. Some have more than others. Some have them when they don't think they have any at all. It's life. It's what helps you grow. Molds you into who you are." He had her full attention now. "I don't know what happened to you, and I don't have to know. I have more stories myself than I care to share sometimes. We're not strangers, we've been in each other's lives for while. I don't count the days but the seasons have changed and it's been at least a year or more. I've shared what's been necessary for the group. But it's not been everything." He wasn't going to push her. He had secrets himself. "Just as I'm sure I know nothing at all about you really."

"Not much to tell. Merle raised me after my mom died. My dad was a prick and for a while I'd be on my own off and on as Merle did stints in juve. It wasn't all peaches and cream." Daryl admitted. Annabeth was right, again. She had shared things with him before. He hadn't always been paying attention but for the times he'd really listened, he knew a little. Her mom died at sixteen, her grandparents raised her until college. But that was the brunt of what he knew. It was the brunt of what anyone had known come to think of it. "I got by huntin' and odd jobs. I was a screw up, still am."

"Did he do those to you?" Annabeth asked.

Daryl nodded, "Merle too. But he left, walked away. He was good at that. The little brother got the shit end of it. Don't really care anymore. Both them bastards are dead. But I ain't gonna forget what Merle did for the group neither. He ain't ever done nothin' like that his whole life."

"In the end, he changed his mind about things I think." Annabeth was putting it in perspective. "When my mom died, I made her a promise. I promised her I'd get as far away from home as I could. It got me to the farm until I was done with school. Then when my grandfather died, I tried college. I busted my ass. I tried to make every grade worth that every penny my grandfather paid. He sold the farm only to pay for school. So, once again, I was in Birmingham, alone, but free."

Daryl knew that Birmingham was where she had come from. When the city went down with the outbreak, she made it to Atlanta on the last of her gas running into Shane and Lori, eventually being part of the Quarry Group, his first group.

"Merle and I were going to rob the camp blind at night and leave the next day."

Annabeth looked at him shocked. "What?" Daryl nodded and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm glad you didn't."

"Me too. I doubt I'd be around anymore." He sighed. "Merle was dumb at times, but he meant well in trying to do the right thing by me. His ways probably weren't always the right ones, but it was all he knew."

"You do the right thing too. What you did for Carol, no one forgets that. That earned everyone's trust. You've had everyone's backs enough times to have proven yourself. Just remember that." A yawn escaped Annabeth's mouth.

"Rest up. I'll wake you when it's time." Daryl told her.

"No, I can't sleep tonight. We'll stay up together." He nodded, accepting her decision.


	5. Chapter 5

They sat in silence for quite some time. Faint rustling could be heard in the near distance but nothing too form. The rustling lacked the moans and sounds of walkers they were familiar with. Daryl chalked it up to most likely being game of some sort. Empty stomachs didn't help with food on the mind. He promised Annabeth they'd find something at dawn to hopefully eat before carrying on.

Annabeth felt tired but knew sleep wouldn't come. They had too close of a call at the trailer and she replayed the scenario in her head over and over again. She and Daryl were lucky. They'd always been lucky. And fortunate. Even from when she joined the group early on, they'd survived, they'd been separated and found one another. They'd lost people too, but they never let it stop them from wanting to survive.

AB sighed as she stared into the flames. She let them take her into a trance, watching the oranges, yellows and reds flicker in her vision.

_Birmingham was far behind her as her green eyes moved from the windshield to her rear view mirror. She was just weeks away from starting her pre-med classes at the University of Alabama Birmingham when the world changes. Annabeth had seen terrible scary things. Things she'd hoped were that of bad dreams, in fact it was worse. People were becoming monsters. They checked into the clinic she'd been volunteering at with horrible fevers, aches and excruciating pains. The hospitals were full and turning those ill away. Her boss told her that there was no hope in Alabama anymore. That she needed to head to Georgia, to Atlanta to seek shelter there. _

_Atlanta shocked her, it was two hours away. It didn't make sense, but if her boss was telling her to leave Alabama, she was going to listen. She trusted June. June took her under her wing. A broken girl, looking for the right mentor and June saw that AB was dedicated. _

_The drive to Atlanta seemed endless, there were miles and miles of traffic. Highway 20 was jammed in all directions. Eventually, her car ran out of gas, miles from the city limits. That was when she'd ran into Shane, Lori and Carl. They were parked just a lane over from Ed, Carol and Sophia. The kids were playing games on the back of Ed and Carol's station wagon while Lori stood watch, casually speaking with Annabeth while Shane kept checking the radio for any sign of hope. Lori and Annabeth had been talking with Carol about a couple of MRE's that she could spare for Carl when large military helicopters were heard overhead, flying towards the city. Loud explosions coming from Atlanta caused the people on the road to run to the tree line, trying to get a glimpse._

_The sight was terrifying. There was the smell of napalm in the air as the bright orange flames exploded through the city. Screams echoed across the river. Standing close by had been Lori and Shane. Lori looked terrified, about as terrified as Annabeth felt._

_"We need to get out of here." Shane stated. Lori nodded. She wanted to do what was best for Carl. To keep him safe, protected from whatever was happening._

_Annabeth quickly piped up looking to Shane. "I know you don't know me, but I'm out of gas and home is a long ways away."_

_"You're coming with us." Lori pointed out. Shane nodded in agreement._

Daryl adding some more small kindling to the fire. The flare up caused Annabeth to come out of her memories with a start.

"Sorry." Daryl said. He sat next to her but made sure that he kept a decent amount of space between them. "Where'd you go?"

"The day I met Lori, Shane and Carl." She sighed. "It was the day the army bombed the city." Daryl nodded. He'd not been there for that, he'd been in the woods with Merle looking for food to store up. They'd already seen some crazy shit and were preparing for doomsday in their own backwoods way.

"It so went against my grain to leave home, to leave June." That was a name he hadn't heard before. "She believed in me. Since I'd moved to Birmingham, she was the only boss who cared enough. Always told me I was a survivor and that if I left, I'd make it." Annabeth rubbed her arms up and down her arms, warming herself slightly. I wanted to be a doctor, help people like my mom and my grams. I wanted to help people, yet all I accomplished was the fact that I can take a pulse and blood pressure. When you want to be healer and see there's nothing too heal, it leaves you adrift. Looking back, I think we all thought it was airborne. That there could have been a flu shot to fix it. I was in denial. Then with Jenner, and what he showed us, then for Rick to say we're all infected. I had always been afraid of dying, but now, I'm terrified because I don't want to be one of those things. They aren't people. They're soul-less, lifeless people."

"We're going to be okay." Daryl assured her. Although, he didn't really believe it himself. He wanted to believe it but again, hope wasn't something he really ever believed in. He felt about as lost as they were. He lost a group of people who'd believed in him, something he desperately hid wanting all his life. He believed in these people. They were family. He felt like there was no point in any of it right now, but at least he wasn't alone. He had Annabeth and in a way, that counted for something.

"One day, I'll believe you." A half smile crossed her small but pouty lips. "Until then, I'll pretend for our benefit."

With the dawn, they were on the move again. There hadn't been any game to eat, both figuring there had been walkers that'd caught most of it. At least what was slow moving enough. Trekking through the woods seemed like it was all they did anymore. They still weren't far from the prison. In all honesty, they'd probably only made a large circle. The groups of walkers varied. Solo scavengers to groups of nearly ten were within their sights at times. It left an ill feeling in Annabeth's stomach along with the pangs of hunger.

The effects of no food and lack of water were catching up with her. They'd gone days at a time in the beginning after the Greene farm but this was different. They were accustomed to food at the prison. Between hunting parties, cultivating vegetables, having pigs, there was food. Purified water even. Now, the squirrel she and Daryl shared a couple days ago was long absorbed into her system. However, Annabeth knew she could push through the hunger. It's a retraining process. Mentally and physically.

Annabeth wasn't fully paying attention to her steps in front of her and smacked right into Daryl's back with a thud. He looked over his shoulder and looked back ahead. He pointed and she peered over his shoulder. The group ahead was wandering aimlessly around some trees, in idle mode. They hadn't been detected yet but all it would take were a few minutes, if that.

Daryl signaled for AB to get her bow ready and follow him to the left, hoping to flank the group. Right away, he counted eight and there was no telling if any weren't hiding around the trees. Daryl wanted Annabeth in front of him as he kept an eye on the group from behind. They'd slipped by half the group before a hidden geek came from around the tree, smelling Annabeth, arms opened wide, mouth chomping at her. She knocked it away with the butt of her crossbow but it was only temporary.

"Run, go." Daryl shouted as the group was now on to them. The walkers gained their speed in haste chase of their next meal.

Annabeth felt like she was running just as fast if not faster than when she bolted from the prison. They had to have run for several more miles before busting out of the tree line and onto the tracks they'd once abandoned in search for shelter. But they didn't stop there, they continued running down the tracks in the general direction they'd picked up before, West. If the bus had gone East, they couldn't head that way now, not with the walkers close behind.

Daryl was still behind Annabeth as they ran and ran and ran more. The walkers had tapered off but only slightly. They'd seemed to be gaining distance on them when Annabeth tripped over a lose tie in the tracks. Her foot had become stuck in the ballast. "Oh God." Annabeth cried out.

Panic had set in as Daryl tried to free her foot. He kept glancing between helping her and the approaching group. "Come on." He said harshly, frustrated.

"Go. Just go." Tears were welling in her eyes as she encouraged him to leave her. "Please, Daryl."

"NO! I ain't leavin'." He growled. Annabeth kept trying to release her foot from the space and in the nick of time, it came free but not without a twist in the wrong direction, spraining the tendon and muscles. The pain was terrible but Annabeth had to keep going. They were running for their lives now at a much slower pace.

"We need to hide. You can't keep going like this." Daryl said as he looked back again. They'd gained some distance again and thankfully the group seemed to be slowing down themselves. They must have been out of range for whatever senses that remained that picked up prey.

"I'm fine. We need to keep going." Annabeth argued as she stumbled again, catching herself this time. Daryl gave her a look that said 'I told you so'. "We can't stay in the woods." AB relented.

He knew that. He knew they needed a roof over their head but who knew where they were on the tracks and if there was a service depot or rural mail depot along the line.

Daryl and Annabeth continued West on the tracks for some time before really slowing down as Annabeth gave into the pain in her ankle. Daryl felt he needed to aide her walking. He took her right arm and threw it over his shoulders, placing an arm around her waist. Her body molded into his. "Just accept the help AB, it doesn't mean you're weak. Ain't a week bone in your body."

Annabeth sighed and relented, accepting his help. They continued walking quickly as they could in her condition. She could tell Daryl was getting tired. They had to have gone at least another four or five miles, him being her human crutch.

In the distance, AB noticed a large box car sitting dead on the tracks. "Daryl..." She pointed out.

"I see it." He sounded winded. Annabeth wasn't a heavy girl by any means. She was thin but strong. At five foot six inches she still probably weighed about one ten to one twenty, even at the end of the world. Her frame was tiny, seemingly smaller against five foot ten inch frame.

"Go, clear it. I can make it from here." Annabeth pushed off of Daryl reluctantly. It hurt like hell to walk on her own but she had no choice. She'd rather him clear the box car so they could use it as shelter for the night rather than both of them take a hit if it were full of walkers.

Daryl readied his bow as he slowly approached the box car. Not wanting to risk opening the loud metal doors, he climbed the ladder to see if there was a hatch on it's roof. Luckily, there was and it was open. With his well trained silent foot, he stepped to the edge of the hatch and peered in. Giving a little whistle, he tested for walkers. When none approached the opening, he deemed the new shelter clear. Pushing off his knees, he came back to the edge of the box car and saw Annabeth standing at the bottom, waiting for his approval.

"It's clear." He said to her. "Can you come up?"

"I got it." Annabeth took her bad foot and placed it on the rung of the ladder. She pulled herself from the tracks and painfully made her way up to greet him. When she was nearly to the top, Daryl pulled her up the rest of the way.

"I'll help you down." He said as he handed her his bow and slid himself into the opening. Holding on to the frame, he lowered himself down until his arms were straight, dropping the rest of the way.

Annabeth leaned over the edge of the hatch and handed him her bow, then his. She followed his steps by lowering herself until her arms were straight then as she started to drop, she felt Daryl's arms wrap around her legs. Without too much pressure, he let her slip through his arms and onto the box car floor. When her toes touched, her hands were placed on his shoulders. A sensation she couldn't explain caused her breath to hitch and she gently pushed away from him. "Thanks." She said softly. He simply nodded.

Once their eyes adjusted to the darkness of the box car, they were thankful that the sun was overhead, casting whatever light possible the open hatch would let in. The box car was empty and it was hot. A sweat box more than anything, but they couldn't be picky. They only hoped that the night would make it more comfortable for them. Annabeth wished for food and water but they of course were empty handed. Tomorrow both would need to be a top priority.

"Come here. Sit down, let me look at your ankle." Daryl helped her sit and AB slipped off her boot and sock. Daryl took it gently in his hand and carefully looked it over. As far as he could tell it wasn't broken. "I think it's okay." She said. "I see no bruising so I didn't break it." She read his thoughts. "Hopefully it'll be a little better tomorrow and we can move on."

Daryl nodded. "We should rest. Too bad there ain't nothing here to lay on."

"We've had worse." Annabeth shrugged.

Night fell on them and the cool night offered a little relief to the sweltering humidity in the box car. It was still muggy and sweat inducing but at least the cooling temperatures cooled the metal. Annabeth looked around in the dark. There was hardly any moonlight illuminating through the hatch unlike the sunlight. It made her a little uncomfortable. She'd never been afraid of the dark, but at world's end, the dark is what had become most terrifying. She knew Daryl was close by, but not too close for his comfort level.

'Just relax AB. Close your eyes and rest.' She encouraged herself. Eventually, it worked as she thought about good times in her life. Times with her grandparents and being on their farm. Times before her mother was ill and times before, well...

**A/N: Hmmm, what is well...Annabeth seems a little more open about her past unlike our favorite Dixon. But she has secrets too. Just like him. Stay tuned to find out what's in store for these two next!-ZM**


	6. Chapter 6

_It was a warm afternoon in early June. She had only a couple of weeks to go before her life would change. Barton Hollow would no longer be home. She'd be off to Birmingham to work and go to community college, then after that if the money was right; she'd be off to the University of Alabama Birmingham for pre-med. She had it all planned out. For once in her life things were perfect, things were how they were supposed to be for a girl like her. No more troubles, no more losing people. None of it._

_She pulled the old Chevy up to the side of the barn, knowing he'd be there. The door creaked as she opened it, stepping out onto the dried grass. Summer was definitely upon them. Taking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly. This would be her last few weeks at home. She smiled at the thought of home. The farm had always been home, just like it had for her mother. She missed her mother and her grandmother. They'd be so proud of her, graduating, moving on with her life. There had been more than she could handle at times since her mother's passing. Her father dying, losing her grandmother to Alzheimer's. But she had her grandfather, she always had her grandfather._

_"AB, that you?" Her grandfather hollered from the back of the barn._

_"Yes, Papa." She hollered back as she closed the door to the truck and stepped in the direction of his voice._

_Rounding the corner to the old building, she saw him in his usual afternoon spot, both back doors to the barn wide open, letting a cross breeze come through from the front open doors. It was a warm day, even the breeze was warm. He had a coffee cup in his right hand, an envelope in another. He was sitting in his own wicker chair that had seen it's fair share of use. He was looking out over the pastures like he had done for years before. Those pastures had changed so many times over the years. Cows, crops, and how horses. The horses were gone a few years ago to help pay for her grandmother's medical care and keep the farm. Now, the pasture was empty. Calm and empty. Peaceful._

_"Hi Papa." Annabeth smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek._

_"Hey darlin'. Take a seat." Porter nodded to the chair beside him. Annabeth sat down and smiled. She knew what was coming, one of his 'talks'. "How was your day? Graduation's comin' up. You ready?"_

_Annabeth nodded. "It was busy. Takin' my last tests before the big day." She sighed before answering his last question. "I'm ready, but not ready to leave you. I was thinking about waiting until the end of July to leave for Birmingham, just so I could help you around here."_

_"I appreciate that baby, I do, but it's not necessary." Porter shook his head. He handed her the envelope he'd been holding on to. "I want you to have this."_

_Annabeth took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a check for a decent amount of money. It wasn't a whole lot, but it was a generous amount. "Papa..." She was confused. She didn't know where the money came from._

_"It should be enough to get you started. Rent for an apartment, money for some tuition and books. But you'll still need to get a job to work for the rest." Porter explained. "I'm so proud of you AB. Your mama and grandmama would be too if they were here."_

_A sad smile came over her. "Papa, where did this come from?"_

_"I had some money set aside and..." he hesitated but continued when Annabeth took his old, crippled, calloused hand, "I sold the farm AB."_

_"Papa, no." Annabeth immediately handed him back the check. Eyes wide, filling with tears, "I can't take this."_

_"It your grandma's and my intention to do it anyway from the very beginning. I can't take care of this place anymore and you need to get out of Barton Hollow. College has been your dream since your mama died. Follow that dream baby." Porter told her. "The farm needs way more work that I can handle and hiring hands these days, it ain't worth it in my old age. I'm my seventies AB, it's time I just move on."_

_Annabeth couldn't process the information that quickly. The farm had been in her family for at least two maybe three generations. It was her grandparents' life, their living. "Where are you gonna go?" _

_"The senior facility over on Route 9." He answered firmly. Porter had already had his plan in place. "You're going to college Annabeth. Its a dream come true for this family. You deserve your dreams baby."_

_The tears weren't easy to hold back anymore. She let them fall freely down her cheeks as she hugged Porter tightly. "Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you so much."_

Annabeth woke to a nudge with a smile on her face. Her dream still fresh in her mind. "Morning."

"Mornin'." Daryl nodded. "We should head out before it gets too hot. Think you can do it?" She flexed her ankle a little and while it felt tender, it felt better than before she had been to bed the night before. Daryl held out his hand and AB took it. Slowly he helped her stand as she applied pressure to her foot.

"It's a little tight, but nothing I can't move on." She answered. "We can go."

Daryl nodded. "I'll hop up through the hole and take a look around. Then I'll pull you up."

Annabeth waited as she watched Daryl pull himself up the hatch. It was harder than coming down, but with the doors latched from the outside, up and out was their only option. Annabeth handed Daryl the bows before reaching up for him to pull her out. There weren't walkers around at the moment and with the sun rising in the multicolored sky, they were able to put some distance between them and the box car before stopping to search for food.

Annabeth's ankle was definitely tight and she could feel the pull of the sprain when she walked but it was better than the day before. She hoped that with her slightly slower gait it wasn't slowing Daryl down too much. If she was, he didn't say much about it. Not that Daryl said much to begin with. At least he made somewhat more of decent eye contact with you when he spoke rather than always looking down and gazing up. He was always talking from the side. His head cocked, eyes slightly cast downward. Like he wasn't sure of his position, like he felt comfortable to speak where no one could read him. Now, he walked with squared shoulders, made direct eye contact when he spoke. He was a far better man than the one she met in the early days of the apocalypse.

Daryl took a side trail from the tracks in hopes they'd find some food. Squirrel, bird, anything edible. Annabeth picked a spot close by where he was searching to build a small fire if they needed it to cook some meat. After about thirty minutes, Daryl came up with only one squirrel. It was hardly enough to satisfy but it'd be an okay snack.

"Never been a fan of these guys." Annabeth laughed. "Hardly nothin' to 'em."

Daryl shrugged. "Sometimes it was all I had to eat."

"My grandpa once told me that if you could hit a squirrel, dead on, head shot so you didn't ruin the meat, you could hit anything." Annabeth shared. "God I miss that man."

"What happened to him?" Daryl asked.

Annabeth sighed and smiled softly. "He died, about year before all this happened. He was in his late seventies. They never knew why. I think it was a broken heart. I was in college, my grandma died a couple years after my mom. He was alone." Annabeth choked back the tears. Daryl was sure she'd shared this before but he hadn't listened. "I think at the end of the day, with all the shit that's happened, I'm glad none of them were here to see it."

She had come into the apocalypse with no one she loved. She had been alone. She didn't have to worry about losing a brother, a husband, a child. She had just herself. It was probably a good thing, but good things never lasted. She had been adopted into a group, a new family, just as much as Daryl had been. And they lost people along the way. Brothers, wives, sisters, husbands, children. She knew people who were lost to this world and it hurt just as much as losing people before it.

Daryl didn't do well with emotion. It made him feel powerless. In his own world, emotions got your ass beat, whipped. Emotions got you called a pussy, Darlena, weak. He watched as Annabeth composed herself and dusted her hands off as she pushed dirt into the small fire.

"We should go." She suggested. Daryl wasn't going to argue with that. They'd stayed in one place for too long.


	7. Chapter 7

Annabeth and Daryl headed through the woods in the direction they'd been following the tracks. Staying near a food source had they happen to come across any and water, only a couple miles away, was better than traveling in the open along the tracks. The more Annabeth walked on her ankle the better it felt. She was thankful for that. She didn't limp nearly as bad as Shane had after he lost Oscar in the fight for medical supplies at the high school to save Carl's life. Carl. Annabeth smirked at the thought of the little boy who'd been so frightened when she'd met him to the young man this horrible world had turned him into. She missed him. Deep down she hoped they were alive, but as the days passed that hope was pushed farther and farther to the back of her mind. She needed to focus on her survival, Daryl's survival. They were a team, no matter the contrary to his consensus from time to time.

Daryl noticed Annabeth's pace had slowed. "Your ankle hurtin'?" Annabeth shook her head quizzically. "Then c'mon girl."

Annabeth picked up her pace slightly to remain in step with him. They walked until the sun was setting, using Daryl's last match to start their small fire. They'd have to go on with empty stomachs another day longer. By the time the dark settled across Georgia, Annabeth and Daryl were sitting again by a small fire.

"You look exhausted, why don't you rest? I'll keep watch." Annabeth offered. Daryl was reluctant. "You need to close your eyes. If only for a few minutes." With a grunt he gave in and sat with his back to a tree for support.

Annabeth let Daryl sleep as long as she could before nature called her. She nudged him lightly, "Daryl..." She whispered. "Daryl." She nudged him a little harder. He jolted awake. She was lucky he didn't pull his knife on her.

"What?" He asked.

"I have to pee." She sighed. "Keep watch."

Daryl armed himself as he watched her walk away. He'd let her sleep when she came back. He'd had enough rest. He didn't always trust Annabeth's instincts when it came to being on watch. He'd rather have it on him if a group came through.

Annabeth walked about fifty paces from the fire and found a decent bush. She hated peeing in the dark. You never knew what was going to come out and bite you in the ass, especially these days. As she was pulling her pants up, she began hearing sounds close by. They didn't sound like anything that normally came out at night. Then as the sound got closer, she realized that a large group was coming their way. If she didn't move now, Daryl would have no warning. But the problem was they were too close for her to go undetected.

Taking a deep breath, Annabeth took off running. Daryl was on guard the moment he heard her frantic pace. "Go, run!"

Daryl saw the group behind her. It was big enough to be considered a horde or small herd. There was no time to kick their flames in, they just had to take off. They ran at a quick pace to put some distance between them and the herd but it wasn't much.

Coming through the trees, they came across a car along the road. Daryl was first around the abandoned vehicle then AB. The moon was full and bright, illuminating the scene before them as thunder sounded in the distance. There were bodies strewn about beside the old Lincoln. They'd already turned and been disposed of. The group of walkers chasing them were gaining in. Daryl listened for them through the trees ahead. Annabeth tried getting the car to turn over but it was no use.

"It's dead." She whispered loudly. Daryl looked back at her and nodded for her get into the trunk as the walkers approached. Taking his red rag, he tied it to the trunk latch so it wouldn't close, locking them inside. The group was coming out of the trees by now and their loud gurgling, snarling noises could be heard from inside. Annabeth tried to control her breathing as fear overcame her. Daryl kept his eyes on the small space between the trunk lid and the obstructed latch. If a walker was going to try and get through the trunk, he'd be ready. Shaky breaths could be heard from both of them but soon the sounds from the group drowned them out.

Dead limbs bumped and scraped along the car, bouncing the trunk as they passed. Lighting flashed in the distance and Annabeth looked to Daryl who gave her a wave of his hand as if to say 'it's okay'. They didn't emerge from the trunk until morning, the heat of the late Georgia summer already making them sweat, their hair sticking to their faces. Grabbing a plastic bag from the floorboards, Daryl started to gather debris that could be useful in building a small camp for the two of them from in and around the car. Annabeth too grabbed a smaller bag and collected a side mirror, a piece of glass from the headlights and a couple of empty water bottles.

"What'd you come up with?" She asked.

"Not much. A couple a rims, some rope." Daryl responded and began walking away. Annabeth nodded and followed.

They were traveling down a paved road a ways before Daryl turned off and back into the woods. It provided cover but more importantly comfort. He felt most at home in the woods. For Annabeth, it too was an escape, one that provided comfort for her as well. They pitched a makeshift tent with a thick stick as a post and a sheet as cover. If it rained, they'd be screwed but at least it'd protect them from the slightly cooler night temperatures. And shade them from the searing sun when it would creep through the trees. As Daryl set off to find food, Annabeth dug a hole in the red dirt to start their camp fire. Once she got the flames started, smartly using the fried ants and magnifying glass method with the piece of glass and mirror, she sat back on her heels and looked around.

She knew Daryl would be gone for a bit collecting food, if he could find any. It was becoming harder to pick up squirrel or anything for that matter. "What a piece of shit little camp." She commented softly aloud. Sighing, she grabbed the rope that Daryl had picked up back at the car along with the tire rims. Slotting the rope through both rims, Annabeth tied them to two trees, creating a trip line that would rattle the rims together if any walkers or anything tried to pass into their ridiculous camp.

Daryl finally returned with a headless snake, an Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake to be exact. Annabeth watched as he expertly skinned the reptile. She didn't mind snake. Rattlers were fatty and gamey but they were a food source and probably the best meal they'd had since escaping and being on the run. "Hungry?" He asked. Annabeth nodded and shrugged.

They ate in silence. Daryl hadn't said much since the night before but what did Annabeth expect. He wasn't exactly Mr. Conversation. Sometimes, if she had initiated the conversation, she felt like she'd been talking his ear off. "You know, if I close my eyes with each bit, it can be a fat steak or big ass burger." She commented, which was returned with an eye roll. "What? I'm just saying. Eat something like that and now all I'd need is a nice glass of cheap ass red wine that a college kid could afford or a tall, ice cold beer." AB hummed at the thought of the cold golden liquid running down her throat, foam sticking to her lips. She licked her lips and sighed. She tilted her head to the side, looking at Daryl, chewing away at his piece of fattened snake.

"Silent treatment, again? Keep that shit up and I'll need to find booze." Annabeth rolled her eyes. Again, he said nothing as he continued to eat. Annabeth shook her head and he tossed her his bottle of water.

"Pretend with that." He snarled. AB was over his hot and cold attitude. One minute he was nice, the Daryl he'd become after the group trusted him, let him in. The next, he was the prick she first met at the damn quarry. Bullheaded and didn't give a damn about anyone but himself. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was bi-polar.

"Listen ass, stop acting like I'm such a burden. You're so fucking hot and cold sometimes that it makes it unbearable to get along with you!" Annabeth growled. Daryl ignored her outburst. "Fine. Enjoy your barbecue snake."

Stomping off probably wasn't the best idea at the moment, but it was the only one she had and Annabeth needed to get away from Asshole Daryl. At least until nice Daryl wanted to come out. Who's to say that was even a remote chance. It wasn't like he was going to chase after her. She needed to clear her head. She knew enough about herself when to walk away before things could get uglier. In the back of her mind, she wanted her words to hurt him, to sting just slightly enough for him to chase after her.

As she moved through the trees, she saw a small group of walkers approach. Her blood was boiling still and she hadn't managed to cool off enough. Three were easy to take down, she'd done it before. Tightly securing her bow across her shoulder, she pulled her long blade and approached the four walkers before her. She quickly stuck one through the forehead with her knife, the blade digging into the soft, dying bone. Two more gained up on her quickly and she managed to throw the smaller one to the ground, and quickly dispensed of the other one before ramming her blade into the last one, still struggling on the ground. She was covered in walker blood and her breaths were ragged as the adrenaline pumped through her body. She felt alive. The rush filled her as she stood.

That was when her eyes met his. Their blue color seemed brighter in her adrenaline haze, glowing even. So, he'd followed after all. Maybe her words struck a chord with him. Either way, she was over it. So much for their agreement to work together, to look out for one another. "Do you just feel like you're burdened? Like you're babysitting me?" No answer, just downcast eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, I am not a child, I am not a burden. I am just as good as you are at this backwoods shit. Of course, why the fuck would you notice. You wouldn't know a million dollars if it slapped you in the face. I'm going to say this one more time, we're supposed to be working together. A team. What if we are the only ones left? We only have each other. I still believe. I don't give two shits if you don't, but until we find someone else we're it. You're stuck with me. I'm NOT going back to that shit hole camp. I'm moving on."

Daryl watched her as she walked away. He had definitely hit her soft spot. Being...well, being Daryl was just who he was being. He didn't know how to feel. Emotions weren't his anything. Again, she was right. He'd agreed to stick together, but in doing so, he pushed her away. Ignored her. He knew Annabeth could take care of herself, but being alone out there wasn't safe. "Shit." He swore. Annabeth was putting some distance between the two of them. With one foot in front of the other, he began to follow her, closing the distance.

Eventually, he kept pace behind her with a soft foot. Annabeth knew he was there, but she wasn't ready to face him. She didn't mean to have spoken so harshly to him. But after the same game played day in and day out, it gets to be old and stale. Things weren't like this back at the prison. People worked together, why was that so hard to go back to now?

Through the trees, they came upon an old shack type of house. It looked old, beat up, put through hell. Attached to it's left was a smaller shed like building. Shelter was the only word running through Annabeth's mind as Daryl walked up beside her. He recognized the building before them.

"Found this place with Michonne." He said. She knew all too well what kind of place this was. He did too. Daryl walked to the shed and opened the door. Sure enough, Annabeth's gut was right. It was a distillery. Good 'ol backwoods shine. Daryl grabbed the case of mason jars filled with the potent white lightning. "You wanted booze."

She took the case from him as he walked by. Clearing the small house was their next step in securing the area. The jars jingled in her hands as she took to the simple steps to the porch that surrounded the small house. Places like this weren't exactly homes. They had one bedroom, a living room and kitchen all in one area and if you were smart, you'd have the bathroom inside otherwise, there'd be an outhouse just out back in the trees. The only other space would be the distillery shed where sometimes state of the art homemade equipment was set up to brew the liquor.

The house was clear. This was one of the smaller little places AB had been in. Only a living room, closet and kitchen area. It was in shambles of course. And who really knew if it were from the people who'd lived there to brew the moonshine or if it had been ransacked during the turn. AB set the case on the dinky dinette and sat in the chair. She grabbed a jar and popped the lid open. "Whew," she smacked her lips together, "it ain't the worst I've had." She took another pull. "Shit can make ya go blind but it seems alright." AB offered him a jar.

"Nah, I'm good." He shook his head.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Someone's gotta keep watch." He argued.

"Come on, I'll help board up the windows. Consider it a peace offering. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry." Annabeth wanted to make peace. It seemed she was the one doing that all too often but if it kept things civil, then so be it. She'd apologize as often as needed.

Daryl grabbed the jar from her hand and nodded. "A'right."

Together, they found scraps around the room and some tools to board up the windows. Annabeth was looking for something to secure the front window when she found the tackiest thing she'd ever seen. A planter made from a ridiculously large resin bra.

"What the hell..." She showed it to Daryl and he chuckled with a shake of his head. "Who the hell would buy this crap?"

"My dad, that's who." He answered. She looked at him apologetically. "Nah he's a dumb ass. He'd set those up on top of the TV set and use 'em as target practice."

"He'd open fire in the house?" Annabeth knew that was part of Weapons 101, not a good idea.

It was just a bunch of junk anyway. It's how I knew what this place was. That shed out there, my dad had a place just like this." He motioned around them with his hand wielding the hammer. "You've got your dumpster chair for sittin' in, getting shit faced in your drawers. The fancy chaw buckets for spittin' when your old lady tells you to quit smokin'." He looks around the room quickly after pointing out the buckets. He picked up a torn magazine that Annabeth could clearly see was a Playboy. "You've got your internet." He tossed it to the ground.

A walker could be heard approaching the house, halting their conversation. Daryl looked out the window he'd been attempting to board up. The walker was just under the window outside. "It's just one of 'em."

"We can leave it." Annabeth suggested.

"Yeah, unless it keeps making too much noise." Daryl thought aloud. He watched as Annabeth, already slightly lit from her first jar of shine, grab another one.

"Well, here's to keepin' quiet." She said, holding the jar up to him. Daryl shrugged. He walked over to her and grabbed the jar from her.

"Hell, might as well make the best of it." He said and took a seat on the ugly recliner that AB was standing by. "Home, sweet home." He sighed and took a drink.

Comfortable silence came over them as they sipped their moonshine. Annabeth thought about how interesting it was that Daryl had opened up like he had. It was a glimpse into his past that she hadn't necessarily expected. She knew what kind of a place they were in. She'd been in a few of them back in high school. Friends she knew who's parents ran distilleries. She didn't exactly hang out with the best crowd. It wasn't the worst but they weren't small town jocks and cheerleaders looking for a full ride out of Barton Hollow.

"I've been here too many times before. Friday nights, we'd sneak out of the house and head across the fields of places like this. I had a few friends who had parents with distilleries." She explained, meeting her eyes with his. "We'd sit around, sometimes in the dark or by candle light so we didn't get caught. We'd play this drinking game where we'd say something we've never done before. And if I said something and you did do it, you'd drink. If you didn't do it, I'd drink. We'd be completely shit faced come morning and have to drag our asses back to the house before anyone would notice we were gone."

"The hell..." He had never heard of it.

"You ain't ever heard of it?" Annabeth giggled. "Come on, let's play. We ain't got nothing better to do."

"I ain't ever needed a game to get lit before." Daryl commented as he slid from the recliner to the floor to join AB.

"Okay, so, I've never shot a squirrel with my bow." Annabeth smiled. She wanted to start with something easy so he'd get the gist of it. "No, you drink." She knew it was an obvious answer.

"Not much of a game." Daryl said as he took a pull.

"That was a warm up. Besides, it's a mindless game to pass the time." Annabeth shrugged. "Now, you go."

Daryl grunted. He already was beginning to think this was a stupid game. "I don't know."

"Just, say the first thang that comes to your mind." AB pressed on. Daryl noticed her accent grew thicker the more she drank.

"I ain't ever been outta Georgia." He said looking at her directly, his elbow resting on his knee, fingers at his chin.

"Really?" Annabeth questioned. Daryl nodded. "Hmm, good one." She took a drink. It was now her turn. She was feeling the moonshine's effects on her body. But she was enjoying herself and the company. "I've never been drunk and did something I've regretted."

He paused for a moment before picking up his jar. After his sip, he said, "I done a lot of things." He again paused as he contemplated his next question. This game wasn't so bad he supposed. He was getting to know more about AB, more than just the things he'd heard in passing conversations over the last year. "I've never been on vacation."

Annabeth was surprised at this. "What about camping?"

Daryl shook hit head as he rubbed at the stubble on his chin. "Nah, that was just somethin' I had to learn. To hunt."

"Your dad teach you?" She asked. It was probably the obvious answer but it kept the conversation going.

"Mmmhmm." He replied. AB nodded.

"I've never..." It was her turn to pause now. "I've never had sex with someone who wasn't related to me." She waited for him to take a drink. He looked at her with shock, his eyes darkening. "Go on, drink up and ask away."

He lifted the jar to his lips. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know who it was and promise her that if she'd ever run across that person again, he'd kill them. He'd cross that line for her. No one should have to go through that, no matter if you were the worst bitch in the world, it just wasn't right.

Annabeth fought with her emotions. She didn't want to take it there, but the words just left her mouth. She knew he was searching for words to say. "You know what, I'll go again. That one wasn't really fair." She drank just to wet her mouth. "I've never been in jail. Kinda hard when your dad's the sheriff."

"Is that what you think of me?" His face grew cold. Like she'd crossed an invisible line.

"I didn't mean it like that." She was back peddling over her words as the tension grew.

"Drink up." He said. Annabeth swallowed hard. He stood and moved towards the back of the kitchen. "I gotta take a piss."

Annabeth ran a hand over her face. She looked in his direction when she heard glass shatter. Daryl had thrown his jar of moonshine to the ground. "You gotta be quiet."

"I can't hear you, I'm taking a piss." The homemade liquor was now running through him, both of them. They were drunk and the real fun was about to begin.

"Damn it, Daryl!" Annabeth could hear the walker from outside growing agitated the loud his outburst became.

"Damn it Daryl nuthin'." He shouted, emotion heavy on his words. "Oh wait, it's my turn, right?" He vehemently commented as he buckled his belt. "I never, uh... I never eaten frozen yogurt." He was in her face now. "I never had a pet pony. Never got nothing from Santa Claus." He shoved at the chair to his right. "Never relied on anyone for protection before." He turned his back to her then came back to get in her face again. "Hell, I ain't ever relied on anyone for anything."

And that was the issue right there. He had been left to fend for himself, taught that he didn't need anyone or anything but the skills his piece of shit dad had taught him. What Merle had taught him.

"Daryl..." Annabeth spoke in a hushed tone. He just kept rambling on and on. His words tearing into her. The walker outside was more riled than ever.

"Oh it sounds like our friend out there is tryin' to call all his buddies." He shouted as he grabbed his bow from the wall. Pointing at her now standing form, "Hey, you never shoot a squirrel before? Imma teach you right now." He grabbed her forearm and dragged her out the front door and down the steps to the side of the house where the walker was having a fit. "It's gonna be fun."

"Daryl..." Annabeth struggled against his strength. She'd encountered stronger men in her past, but his grip seemed tight, determined.

"Dumb ass." He called out. "Come 'ere dumb ass." One arrow into the walker, pinning it to the tree behind it.

"Daryl!" Annabeth yelled for him.

"You wanna shoot, we'll practice on this sonabitch." Daryl loaded his next arrow and pulled Annabeth against his chest. "It's easy, c'mere. Right corner." His left arm held her close to him as she struggled against him. His arms encircled her now as he held the bow and fired.

Annabeth broke away as he went to reload. "I don't need to learn to shoot a goddamn squirrel with a walker as target practice. I need you to calm the fuck down and go back inside before all of this yellin' brings more here."

"C'mon, it's fun." Daryl said, loading again. Annabeth knew she truly lost him then.

"Just stop it!" Annabeth grabbed for him but he jerked away. "Daryl!"

He pulled her into him again, his rage calm but still full of fire. This time his arm encircled her higher up in somewhat of a choke hold. "Eight ball." He said in her ear. It ran chills up and down her spine. He let her go. "C'mon AB, let's pull these out and start all over again."

While she didn't sympathize with walkers, they were soulless cannibals, she couldn't let him continue to use it as target practice. Pulling her long blade from her side, she quickly approached the trapped thing and jammed the blade deep into the forehead, not stopping until the handle reached the top.

"The hell you do that for? We's havin' fun!" He bitched at her.

"No! You're bein' an asshole. What if that was someone's fucking someone? What if they found them like that?" She pointed out.

"Don't!" He pointed at her, right in her face. "That ain't even remotely the same."

"This shit isn't supposed to be fun. Killing them isn't supposed to be for our own amusement." She argued.

"What do you want from me, girl?" Their argument was back to being heated and in one another's faces. "Huh?"

"I want you to stop acting like you don't give a shit about anything or anyone! Like nothing we went through matters. Like none of the people we've lost meant anything to you. It's bullshit and you know it. You have to know it. You weren't the only one with a fucked up childhood. But I don't carry it around and toss my defenses up every time shit gets tough!" Annabeth was yelling just as loudly now. "I've struggled to survive, we all have. I have kept going. I'm so fucking tired of walking on egg shells for you. Because I worry about how you're gonna feel, how you're gonna just check out again."

"That's what you think?" He said softer, but still with force. Stepping towards her, she stepped back.

She shook her head, her voice filled with emotion, "It ain't what I think, it's what I know."

"You don't know nuttin'." He too now spoke with heavy emotions.

"I know you don't look at me as an equal. From the very beginning you have never seen me for who I am. I've fought hard to be here more times than I can count. I'm your equal damn it! I've survived along with the rest of us. Hell, I survived long before all this hell happened. It's you who knows nothin'. And you don't get to look down on me just because you're afraid and can't deal with it."

He was quiet for a moment. A split moment before looking her right in the eye, "I ain't afraid of nothin'."

"You lie. I know you are. You're afraid of bein' one of them. I am too. Like when Sophia died, when she came out of the barn, you were afraid then. And now God forbid you let anyone get too close. Damn it, Daryl. I care! I care alright."

"Too close huh?" He was seething but Annabeth knew she was getting through. That wall was going to come down brick by brick. "You know all about that don't you. Your whole family is gone and you want to tell me I don't care? You're just a dumb college bitch."

"Fuck you." Her family was gone before the turn. Long gone. She had nothing coming into this and he knew that. He was going to throw everything he could at her to keep up his last defenses. To not let those bricks fall.

"No, you don't get it. Everyone we know is dead!" And he was back to yelling.

"Stop sayin' that!" Annabeth yelled back.

"Might as well be because you ain't ever gonna see 'em again." He continued.

"Daryl...you don't get it. I had no one. I have nothing but what's in front of me." Annabeth yelled back. He turned his back on her as she grabbed for him. He was hearing things from her that he wasn't used to hearing from anyone.

"No." He walked away. They had pushed this too far. He wasn't going to put his guard down like that. They had thrown everything at each other but he wasn't finished. His pent up emotions were bottle necking. "The Governor went right up to our gates," his voice was breaking, "maybe if I...wouldn't had stopped lookin'. Maybe if I hadn't givin' up, that's on me."

"Daryl..." Annabeth grabbed for him again. Again he jerked her away. "We were out numbered. He had a tank, we had no chance either way. We all thought he was gone."

A mumbled sound came from him as his final bricks started to crumble. He couldn't trust his own voice, but he continued. "And Hershel, maybe...maybe I could have done something."

Annabeth did all she could do now. She quickly wrapped her arms around him, her hands on his chest. He tried to break free, but she held on tighter. When her head hit his shoulder, his body completely relaxed. Sobs overcame him as she held on tight. Annabeth had broken through years of pent up frustrations and self loathing. She reached what no one could or ever had. She reached the core of Daryl Dixon.


	8. Chapter 8

AB held him as he broke down and sobbed. She too began to cry and when she could feel him calm slightly, she turned him around and took their hug one step farther. With shaky hands, she reached up for his face. He didn't flinch away, he just relaxed more into her touch. But he wouldn't allow his eyes to meet hers.

"Hey." She whispered, "Look at me." Slowly his blue eyes met with her emerald ones. "It's okay to feel something. It's okay to show me how you feel." She lightly chuckled. "I promise I won't tell anyone." She sniffled.

Daryl nodded and wrapped his hands around her wrists, pulling her hands away from his face. "Did I hurt you?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry for yellin'."

"It's okay." She smiled. "I'm sorry too."

He nodded. He was still holding onto her wrists, gently, ever so softly when he said, "We should get back inside."

Annabeth agreed. Being in the open with all the yelling that took place could have attracted walkers and she didn't want to be unarmed if they came around. When darkness fell, they waited a bit until moving onto the porch. The house inside had become stuffy from tensions early and Annabeth enjoyed the cool night on her flushed skin. She had forgotten how moonshine made her feel like she was having hot flashes and her skin tingling.

With a moonshine jar beside her, Annabeth sat with her back against the porch post. Daryl, now much more relaxed and buzzed rather than pissed off drunk sat across from her, his foot dangling over the side of the porch as he too back against a post. They hadn't said much to one another since their emotions had calmed. But each of them knew that they had grown closer, in leaps and bounds from their previous relationship.

"Now I know why I hated this stuff." Annabeth spoke softly.

"Ya feelin' sick?" Daryl asked. He felt the need now to look after her more. Something pulled him much closer to him. Something he didn't know what it was or how to describe it.

"No. I can hold my liquor. It just makes me feel flushed and like my skin tingles." She smiled. "It always happens too, I start out the happy drunk and then I get angry and then back to happy." AB shook her head, "Some people are just assholes when they're drunk."

Daryl nodded, "Yeah, I'm a dick when I'm drunk." He was playing with his knife, digging it in and out of the post in front of him.

"I wasn't talking about you." Annabeth sighed. "It was when things usually happened to me. He'd come home rip roarin' drunk and since my momma'd be passed out in their room from her meds, I was the easy target. I was twelve the first time he touched me. And it didn't stop until she died and I put a bullet in his chest. Everyone in town knew he was doin' it. But no one would say nuthin'. It was easy to be afraid of the Sheriff. No one said nuthin' or did nuthin' either when I shot 'im. They all said I was brave and that someone needed to do it. I don't regret it but I don't wish it on anyone either."

Daryl looked at her in shock. Why would anyone want to touch their little girl like that. He immediately thought of what Carol had shared with him when she thanked him for looking for Sophia like he had. She had said that Ed looked at her like he wanted to touch her but Annabeth's dad followed through with his thoughts. His mind searched for words to say but nothing came out.

"I don't need you to feel sorry for me." Annabeth pulled her pony tail out and let her hair fall to her shoulders. She ran her hand through the blonde locks. "I just thought that since I had brought it up earlier that maybe I should explain what I'd meant."

Daryl nodded. Silence passed over them again as Annabeth sipped on her moonshine. He didn't have many stories to tell that would even pale in comparison to the one she just shared.

"Tell me something, anything to kill the silence." She took another sip.

Merle had this dealer. This jankey little white guy, tweaker. One day we were over at his house, watchin' tv. It wasn't even Noon yet, we were all wasted. Merle was high. We were watching this show and Merle was talking all this dumb stuff about it." Annabeth watched him as he spoke. He was looking off in the distance, recounting the memory. "He wouldn't let up, Merle never could. Turns out," he makes eye contact with AB to finish, "it was the tweaker's kid's favorite show. He never sees his kid, so I dunno he felt guilty about it or somethin'. So he punches Merle in the face. So I started hitting the tweaker, hard...hard as I can. And he...he pulls a gun, sticks it right here," he said pointing his two fingers to his temple. "He says, I'ma kill you bitch. So Merle pulls his gun on him." Daryl shakes his head, "Everyone's yellin', I'm yellin'...I thought I was dead. Over a dumb cartoon 'bout a talkin' dog." He scoffs thinking of how stupid it all was back then.

"You're here now. What made him change his mind?" Annabeth asked. She thought it was a pretty interesting story.

"Tweaker punched me in the gut, I puked, they both started laughing, forgot all about it." Daryl explained. "You wanna know where I was before all this," Annabeth nodded. "I was just driftin' around with Merle...doin' whatever he said we were gonna be doin' that day. Nobody, nothing. Jus' some redneck asshole with an even bigger asshole for a brother."

"You're not really that asshole now." She smiled warmly. His eyes stayed locked on her. But they seemed distant, as if he were trying to repress some emotions again. "You miss him huh?" He shrugged. "You don't know how lucky you are even if he was a dick. I had to face this new world on my own. It would have been a lot easier in the beginnin' had I just stayed in Birmingham, but I didn't. I listened to my boss and left. I wish I had someone to miss that was around before all this. A piece of my old life. Truth is, they'd probably never make it. I'm glad my mom didn't have to see all this. My grandparents. They were too good of people to live this life. I still hate the fact that my mom never saw me graduate, she'd never see me get married or have babies, not that I could. My mom's cancer made me cautious about everything. And when they found pre-cancerous cells, I had them take everything out. At 21, I knew I wasn't havin' babies. It made me sad for long time. But now, with all this, I'm glad I did it. I'd hate to have my kids see this place. I've seen what it did to Carl...Sophia...Judith." AB began to cry. "I still dream about it of course. I dream that she's alive and old and gray. And that we're sitting on my grandparents farm watching my kids run through the fields. Chasing chickens. It's why I felt so at home with Maggie, Beth, Hershel."

"That's how was supposed to be." Daryl tried comforting her with his words.

"I wish I could change the world, go back and do something about my dad, maybe i'd be better off if I had. Change myself, maybe he wouldn't have done what he did." Annabeth sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "God, I'm twenty-eight and still so foolish sometimes."

"You did change. You changed by shooting your dad, protectin' yourself. You changed by coming here, to Georgia. You didn't know what was goin' on. None of us did." Daryl told her. She'd been through hell like he had, just differently.

Annabeth shook her head. "Not like you. It's like you were made for how things are now. Like it all comes easy to you. I could hunt but not like you. I wasn't doin' it to survive. I was doin' it to spend time with my grandpa. To get away from my dad."

"Nah, I'm just used to this. Things being ugly. Growin' up in a place like this." There he went making excuses again for his feelings, his behavior.

"But you got out. Got away from it." AB pointed out.

"I didn't." Daryl argued.

"Oh...no, you did. It's obvious. You just have to realize it." She countered.

"Well maybe you gotta keep remindin' me sometimes." He seemed to struggle with putting things like that in the past, that he had turned over a new leaf.

"You bet your ass I will." Annabeth sighed. "But, I'll be gone someday. Who's gonna do it then? That's why you have to see it too."

"Stop." He wasn't going to hear any of that shit. She wasn't leaving him any time soon. Hell, he'd put his life before hers.

"I will. You're gonna be the last man standing in this shit hole." AB pointed out to him. "You are...you're going to miss me so bad when I'm gone Daryl Dixon." She scooted closer to him. It made him a little uneasy.

"You're drunk AB." He adjusted his position. Her closer proximity made him nervous, fidgety.

"I may be but I ain't blind either. Look, we gotta own up to who we are now, not who we were. Places like this," she gestured to the house with a nod, "you have to put 'em away. You have to take the drugs and moonshine and beatin' and close that door.

"What if you can't?" He asked.

"You gotta. You have to. Or it'll kill you. It'll strike you in the heart every time and things like what happened today will keep happenin'. I don't want that. And I don't think you do either. I've done it before with...and I can do it again. I won't let you down. I won't let you open that door up again." Annabeth reached out for his hand and took it gently. "Remember that I care about Daryl. You ain't gonna be able to push me away that easy."

"We should get inside." He said, changing the subject. Things were too heavy for him at the moment. He could only take in so much emotional conversations in a day.

"I got a better idea." She smiled brightly. "Let's torch the place. Burn it to the ground."

Her smile lit something deep within him. It was genuine, beautiful. It made her eyes shine in the moonlight. He dropped her hand and stood, putting his knife in it's sheath and grabbed his jar of moonshine. He took a couple of steps towards the door and looked back at her. He reached out for her and she took his hand, still smiling a she stood.

"We're gonna need more booze." He said, looking down to her. AB gave him a wink and a nod. She followed him into the house and they each grabbed a bottle or jar of moonshine from the case off the table.

Daryl started dumping the clear liquid all around them. Annabeth followed, breaking jars, emptying contents onto the walls and furniture. To see Daryl Dixon smile was a rare thing and Annabeth made a mental note to imprint it in memory. His smile was heartwarming and sexy. And it made her heart flutter. Daryl Dixon had made his imprint, his impression on her and she didn't know what to do with it. She hadn't experienced feelings like this before. Not in this way. This wasn't some fantasy or crush, this was life and so far, they were all each other had. She just had to work on him realizing it.

Once all the moonshine was emptied, Daryl and AB stood just off the porch to light the place up. Using paper they'd found and some matches, he offered the ceremonial duty to her.

"You wanna?"

"Hell yeah." She smiled, taking the matches from him and striking them. She held the match to the paper and waited for it to light. Once lit, Daryl tossed the flaming wad onto the porch.

The two of them stood at a safe distance as the home went up in flames. Laughing melodically, Annabeth lifted her middle finger to the blaze as if she were closing the doors on her past as well as Daryl's, helping him say 'fuck you' to it all. She nudged him with her shoulder and looked up to him. She saw how his blue eyes seemed to glisten with the flames. He smirked and gave the home the bird as well.

Daryl noticed walkers approaching the blaze and it was now his turn to nudge at AB. She looked in the direction he was and turned to him.

"Time to go." She said. He nodded and put a gentle, guiding hand on the small of her back until she was a few steps in front of him. They were on the move again, but this time without a lot of the baggage they'd carried around. As Annabeth walked in front of him, Daryl himself couldn't help but smirk. Things were on a different path, a good path. Together, they'd be just fine.


	9. Chapter 9

As the sun came up, Daryl and AB had put some distance between them and the distillery cabin they'd set a blaze to the night before. Sharing secret deepened their bond.

Daryl hadn't expected to feel so defeated when they'd set foot in the small structure but his past had come back ten fold and there was no escaping it. He'd taken AB there so he knew what he was getting himself into, he just hand't expected it to mind fuck him so terribly. Combine that with the moonshine and AB's game with her innocent accusations, his emotions were on overload.

Then she'd shared her stories and he couldn't help but feel like an even bigger dick than he had been. When their argument had escalated like it had, he was ready to give up. He had come to realizations he'd been denying for days, even a week. He'd lost count of how many days they'd actually been alone. He felt like he'd lost the only family he'd ever had. And that was heartbreaking, soul stealing, hope deflating. Annabeth brought him back from the edge. Her words, after calming down herself, were comforting and he now couldn't deny that she made him feel at home. Something in him stirred when he would catch her emerald eyes glancing at him. He'd never had a relationship with a woman. He felt awkward around the opposite sex. There weren't many opportunities for Dixons. Their reputations, or rather the one Merle had given their name, proceeded them and most times, Merle paid for his affections. To Daryl, it was dirty and horrible. Women didn't deserve to be treated like that. Besides, to him, women were confusing creatures that he shied away from.

It seemed that AB had always been noticeable. People in the group always were drawn to her. Hell, in his mind, you'd have to be dead not to notice her. But she made him nervous. She saw too much of who he was because the same thing was in her. The deepest, darkest thing that one held down so now one saw it, that thing that made you not like yourself, they both had that. Annabeth handled it far too well though. She knew how to have her mysterious side, her dark side and keep it locked away that always kept people guessing. He never imagined that it'd be what she told him. He figured she just had it rough like he had but still had good people in her life. He wasn't wrong about that. That, he believed was why people were drawn to her.

Daryl watched as she moved in front of him. She was sobered up by now, they both were. But there was something about AB that was off. She looked pale, ill. A smirked behind her back, she was hungover.

"AB you a'right?" He asked as she stopped by a large tree. She leaned against it's rough bark, resting her forehead against the back of her hand. He noticed a sheen of sweat on her that wasn't from the Georgia heat.

"Mmmhmm." She hummed, holding one finger up to him. She knew they had to keep moving a bit further. Daryl had mentioned a creek somewhere near by but the moonshine was getting ready to rear its ugly head again. She moved quickly to the opposite side of the tree, dropped to her knees and let lose of the bile and white lighting. When she was through, she sighed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Oh that's embarrassing." She mumbled.

"Nah, it's okay." He extended his hand out to her. She looked up at him with a pathetic smile and took his hand. He helped her up and said, "Shit that used to be every day life. Don't sweat it."

"Are we close?" AB asked. She still felt shaky and nauseous.

He nodded. "Not much more to go."

He was right, it wasn't much more, merely a couple more miles and they'd set foot in front of a small creek. Daryl searched the area for something to catch for food as Annabeth sat on a rock, dabbing water on her face. The water was cold, colder than she expected, but in the heat of her hangover, it felt comforting. The days were getting cooler and she'd hoped they'd find shelter soon. Winter was approaching and they'd need a winter home. Something stable. In slight retrospect, AB rolled her eyes at now burning down the moonshine cottage. It would have held up had they put a little work into it.

But it needed to be done, more than anything for Daryl, than for her. She had closed her doors, but by telling him about her past, she knew he'd be more comfortable opening up. Helping him close the doors to his past was comforting. She felt them become closer. And she wasn't going to lie to herself, wrapping her arms around him, touching his rough features, it felt amazing. It seemed more than an infatuation, like real feelings. Feelings she wasn't exactly denying anymore, just not pressuring. She told him she cared. How he took it was up to him. That was the best she could do not being used to relationships. On that level they were equal.

Daryl hadn't been gone too long and when he returned, he'd come back with more squirrel and something green wrapped in his bandanna. "It's not much but it's food."

"I'll dig the hole." Annabeth hadn't expected him to return with anything.

"I got it. Sit. Eat this." He handed her the bandanna with the green leaves inside. She smiled up at him as she noticed the heart shaped leaves. Wild ginger. "Thank you."

He nodded and went about digging in small hole closer to the tree line to smoke out their small meal.

The weather was cooling by each day and he knew they'd need to find shelter soon. Or at least some warmer clothes to get by until they'd found a better roof over their heads.

"It's gettin' colder." He said aloud as he turned the squirrels over the smoking embers.

"Ya, I thinking that myself." Annabeth sighed. "The stream is refreshingly cold but almost too cold. We'll be in winter before we know it. Do you remember any more shine houses out here? Maybe they have some clothes."

Daryl shook his head as he handed her a squirrel to nibble on. "Ain't nothin' else around here."

AB huffed. "Well, I'm sure we'll find something. We always do."

He nodded. "We'll manage."

The two sat by the creek, eating and just enjoying the peace. Daryl cleaned his arrows and started in on hers when she interrupted him. "I can do it."

"It's a'right." Daryl shrugged. "How's the ankle?"

"It could be better. Comes and goes. I'll deal." She sighed. "Thanks for doing that."

"Ain't no big deal." Darryl said. He finished with her arrows and went to the creek to clean out the rag. He'd carried it with him forever. It was almost lucky he supposed, if he believed in that type of thing. He of course didn't. Annabeth walked over to him and stood by his side.

"We should move on." She suggested. "It's getting late and I'm not sure you really want to be here do you?"

"Might be an a'right place for the night." He looked around at the area before them. It would be a decent place for the night. They could move on in the morning. They could use the tree line for protection from the elements, stay on watch for walkers and if they built an evening fire, the trees would help conceal it. "We'll stay and move on in the morning. There's gotta be somethin' around here where we can find some warmer clothes."

And that was the plan they stuck with. Daryl took the first watch as AB rested. He took a good long look at her. She seemed to be at peace. In a world so hellacious, peace was rare. She was close to the fire, to keep warm. Her one arm was folded behind her head, acting as a pillow. She was lying on her back , leg propped up on a log, giving relief to her ankle. He knew it had been bothering her but she hadn't dared mention it. He knew she was trying to continue to prove herself to him. He wished she would stop thinking she had to prove anything. Daryl didn't even think AB realized she was doing it. Like it was an automatic response for her to continue to prove she could do things. He knew the feeling all too well.

He watched how her hair, shoulder length with a natural wave, nearly glowed in the fire light. She hadn't pulled it back since running her fingers through it the previous night. Her body was slender, tiny, especially even under his near six foot frame. He thought about when she hugged him, held his face in her hands. Comforted him. Just the thought now gave him a chill.

A rustling in the distance brought him from his stare. It too woke AB from her restful state. "Walker?" She asked groggily.

"Nah." He shook his head. "Prolly just a animal."

"Well, you look tired. We can switch. I'll keep watch 'til dawn." Annabeth sat up and stretched. She rubbed her hands together and reached out to warm them by the fire. The low glow only warmed her just slightly. Daryl laid back against a tree and closed his eyes. He trusted AB to keep them safe through the night.

The next morning, the two walked in near silence. The only things keeping them company are the birds chirping away and a walker's howls somewhere off in the distance. Neither had paid much attention to the distance they'd been walking or time for that matter, they had just been walking. Eventually, they'd come across the walker that had been howling. It was again another who thought they could be able to hang themselves and opt out of dooms day. If they only knew. The fortunate thing for them was since he posed no threat, AB and Daryl decided to leave him be and look through his tent. They didn't find any food, but managed to gather a backpack of a couple flannel shirts and a jacket small enough for AB. Unfortunately, there were no weapons.

"Poor guy, nothing to protect himself." AB sighed.

Daryl still didn't understand how she sometimes thought of these things as people. They no longer were people to him, at least he tried to set that aside. 'People don't eat people.' He'd continue to tell himself. Killing them never was fun but if he didn't look at it as people, guilt and remorse would take control.

"C'mon. Let's teach you to catch squirrel." He smirked and led AB away from the abandoned campsite.


	10. Chapter 10

Her foot tread was light, something she was used to. She could hunt, there was no question about it, and she could track somewhat decently, but she wasn't an expert like he was. He did it to survive, something forced upon him in what she could only think was really shitty circumstances sometimes. She did it to spend time with her grandfather, to enjoy the outdoors. It was always fun and games. Nothing serious. She would fully admit that she lacked that survival hunter's instinct, but was willing to learn. And that she was, from the best and only teacher she knew.

"You got half of it down. You can shoot, well enough and your tackin' ain't that bad. We're just gonna make it better." Daryl said as he showed her how to hold her bow in a better position to see a quicker moving target. He just tweaked her movements here and there a bit. At first it felt odd and uncomfortable but after a few rounds, she adjusted. Even with a slightly heavier gate on her right, she was treading quietly.

A squirrel came into view as it scampered across the forest floor. He nodded for her to follow it. Annabeth took slow, carefully placed movements. The weight having to be evenly distributed between her two feet gave her a little discomfort but she showed no visible sign of it.

"Are we close?" AB whispered. She lost sight of the squirrel. 'Damn little suckers are fast.' She thought.

"Almost done. The signs are all there, you just gotta know how to read 'em." He spoke softly from right behind her. His low tone made her spine tingle.

"These damn things are hard to track." She said.

Daryl nodded. "You gotta be faster than them. Anticipate their move. You're the one that wanted to learn." It was now Annabeth's turn to nod. She continued on her path until she noticed a change in tracks.

"Walker tracks." She pointed out. "Fresh too."

"Maybe it's a drunk." Daryl joked. Annabeth looked over her shoulder at him and quietly chuckled. He liked to watch her eyes light up when she laughed or smiled. Laughing wasn't something people did a lot of these days, nor smile.

"You know, if I get enough of these, pretty soon I won't need you at all." She now joked. He shook his head.

"Yeah, you keep on tracking." He gave her a dismissal wave with his hand as she walked away from him. With the squirrel long gone now, they focused on the walker tracks.

They came upon the walker that used to be a man in a small clearing. It's back to them. It appeared to be eating something, and quite contently too.

"It's got a gun." Annabeth pointed out to Daryl. He nodded for her to approach and he'd have her back. Walkers she could take out, no problem. Raising her bow, in firing position, she approached. She made sure to keep her tread quiet so not to let on she'd was behind it. With her eyes on the walker, she never saw the perfectly concealed trap until her already sprained ankle fell into it. "Gah. Shit." Her bow dropped slightly as her body fell to the ground. The walker turned on her the moment she cried out.

She fired one shot and missed. Daryl had an empty bow, giving Annabeth his bolts to use for practice. With no time to reload, he ran for her, swiping the weapon from her hands and knocking the walker in the base of the neck with the butt. With the walker dead, Daryl slid down to AB swiftly releasing her foot from the trap. It was a rusted, small animal steel trap.

"Can you move it?" He asked as he held the heel of her boot in his hand, helping her rotate her ankle in a small circle. Annabeth winced but was still able to move it.

"Yeah." She said as she nodded. He helped her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her small waist. Annabeth then threw her arm over his shoulder and used him as a crutch as they moved in the direction they'd began following the walker. There was no doubt in Daryl's mind that he needed to get AB somewhere safer in order to really let her ankle heal up a bit. To add insult to injury, it was the same ankle she'd sprained a few days prior.

They pushed through until they came to a cemetery, an old looking cemetery and what could only be assumed as the mortuary and funeral home beyond that. The field of tombstones wasn't very large, but seemed to be historical. Like it held souls of a long time ago.

"Wait, can we...I just gotta stop a second." Annabeth slipped her arm from his shoulder and bent down toward her ankle.

"Are you alright?" He asked concerned.

"I just need to sit down a minute." Annabeth adjusted her position slightly to take the weight off of her foot.

Daryl glanced at the large white building with the pillars across the tombstones. "Alright, hold up." He said as placed his crossbow over the front of his chest. Annabeth had her bow and the backpack across her back. She watched him adjust the strap then uncharacteristically squatted slightly before her. "Hop on." He said.

"Are you serious?" She chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at her and her objection.

"Yeah, it's a serious piggy back." He looked forward. "Jump up."

"Oh what the hell." AB sighed and placed her hands on his shoulders, hoping up to ride his back.

He breathed out a huff as he took his first step forward. "You're heavier than you look." He said adjusting her up higher on his hips with a bounce with a grunt.

Annabeth scoffed. "Gee, thanks." She was lucky he couldn't see her eye roll. "Maybe there are people in there."

"Yeah," he stepped slowly, "if there are, I'll handle 'em."

"There's still good people around, Daryl." She pointed out. She knew he was insinuating that he'd have to fight for them to have shelter, for help, for anything. She was still trying to point out to him that he was wrong.

"I don't think the good ones survive." He stated firmly. As if he was certain of it.

They didn't even make it past the first grave stone before AB slipped down from his grasp. She looked at the headstone before her. It touched a soft spot for both of them.

The man's name matched that of her grandfather and with the recent loss of Hershel, the inscription hit home. 'Beloved Father' it read only the man entombed here lived only to be thirty seven and was alive in the 1800's. As AB stared at the grave, Daryl stepped a few steps back behind her to grab some of the weed like yellow flowers. He moved past AB and set them down on the tombstone. It was a silent understanding that they both had to pay their respects in memory of Hershel. Another farewell to her grandfather, whom she thought might have been her guardian angel in all this mess.

As Daryl stepped back to stand beside her again, Annabeth reached for his hand held it, giving it a gentle squeeze. He squeezed her hand back and held it, just held it. Taking more than just comfort in her gesture. He looked to the house and then back to the tomb, then just slightly over his shoulder to see her. Her eyes were welled up and with a blink the tears were gone.

She was the first to release their hands. When she did, he squatted down for her to jump onto his back again. This time, as they moved across the headstones and to the steps of the house, he made no comment about her being heavier than she looked or any comment in general. Again they were silent.

He set her down at the doorway. As she moved to the side, Daryl pushed the door open and knocked on it's frame. Then gave a two fingered whistle to attract either walkers or humans, anything living inside. AB moved to step in but he stopped her. "Give it a minute." He said.

He was the first through the front door, with AB behind him. She shut the door and looked around. The home was definitely of historic value. Probably even civil war era based on the tombstone out front. She had guessed that was probably how many of the dead had fallen outside in their graves. The furniture was ornately designed, fancy, but typical for a funeral home in the South. Definitely antique.

"It's clean in here." She commented, touching the guest book. Not a spec of dust was on it.

"Yeah, someone's been tending to it." Daryl turned his attention to her, finger on the trigger, ready. "They may still be around." AB nodded as she watched him walk into a viewing room. It had a few rows of chairs and an open casket, a body inside. It had turned but was dead, made up to look like it was ready for it's service. Annabeth followed him into the room with a now noticeable limp, watching him as he examined the body. He ran his fingers over the cheek, a grimace crossing her features as Daryl's hands smeared away make up. He looked to her as he rubbed his fingers together, trying to erase the face paint.

Together, they explored the house. Daryl cleared upstairs while AB kept watch down. Then together, they moved on to the basement. Rounding the corner and down a final flight of stairs, Daryl and AB stepped into the embalming room.

Daryl cleared his throat as he set his crossbow on the metal counter. He began searching cupboards in hopes that there would be something he could use to help AB and her bum ankle. He found what he was looking for quickly with a roll of gauze and some tape. "Let's get that ankle wrapped." He looked to AB who was distracted by the dead walker made up in his Sunday best on the medical table. It was the first time she'd seen a walker at peace, or looking like so.

There weren't yellowed empty eyes looking back at you, decrepit limbs reaching for you or sagging jaws wanting to eat you. It was a resemblance of who they used to be. The person inside. The very things that AB was still trying to remember that they were and not just a soulless monster.

"Looks like somebody ran out of dolls to dress up." Daryl commented as he tore open the gauze, the roll of tape around his wrist like a bracelet.

AB turned her head to him quickly. "Stop it." She sighed. "It's beautiful. Whoever did this, they cared. The wanted them to rest in peace, have a funeral. Whoever did this, they remembered that the things were people before all this." She saw him lower his head from the corner of her eye. "They didn't let it change them." Now she looked to him and he to her. "Don't you think it's somewhat beautiful?"

He gave her a slight nod and shrug. He was really trying to do as she wanted of him, to remember these were people too. "C'mon." He took her arm and helped her to the counter where she hoped up and slipped her boot off. She slipped her sock off and let her toes wiggle at the free feeling. It hurt, but the reprieve from her confining boots was too much not to.

Daryl began to wrap her swollen and bruising ankle. She didn't break it, but sprained it worse. And there was some pretty nasty bruising already taking place where the trap clamped down on it. He wrapped it tight enough for mobility and stability and Annabeth had wondered where he'd learned to do it.

"How'd you learn to do that?" She asked her thought aloud.

"Taught myself." He grunted. "Take so many beatin's and you gotta hide it sometimes." Annabeth reached for his hand as he finished the wrap. She took it gently and looked up at him with her emerald eyes.

"Thank you. You did a pretty good job." She smiled. Her words were softly spoken and a silence filled the small space as he let her hold his hand. Then, he grew uncomfortable and pulled away.

"Let's see if we can find somethin' to eat." He suggested. Annabeth nodded, grabbing her sock to slip back over her foot. Her boot fit a little tighter but the worn leather would expand over time. Right now, the tightness was added comfort to the injury. Almost like a walking cast.

Daryl helped her climb the stairs slowly back up to the main floor of the house. They moved into the kitchen to see what they could find. Daryl searched one side while AB started at the fridge.

"Damn." She said opening it, finding it empty. Not that it had power, but it was a decent storage spot. "You find anything over there?" She looked over her shoulder as he opened another empty cupboard. Meeting him at the next, she opened one side as he opened the other. She let out a laugh at the jack pot.

Daryl read out the contents of the goodies. "Peanut butter and jelly, diet soda and pigs feet." He pulled a jar of jelly down and examined it. "That's a white trash brunch right there."

"It all looks good enough to me. Aside from the feet." Annabeth cringed at the thought. She too grabbed a couple of jars and examined them.

"Now, hold up. There aint a spec of dust on this." Daryl pointed out. Annabeth looked down at the jars in her hands, he was right.

"So..."

"So it means someone just put it here. This is someone's stash." They looked together at the cupboard.

"Then maybe they're still alive." Annabeth said. Daryl nodded as he thought of their next move.

"Alright, we'll take some of it and leave the rest, alright?" He suggested.

Annabeth nodded in agreement. Then she smiled, looking to him, "I knew it."

"What?" He said turning the lid to the jelly jar, opening it.

"It's like I told you. There are still good people." AB winked. She was referring to him as being the good person, not just those who'd left the food. His response was to dig his fingers into the grape goop and pop them into his mouth with a satisfied grunt. "Ugh, gross." AB laughed. She grabbed her jar of peanut butter and began walking away.

"Hey." He got her attention, "Those pigs feet are mine."

"Yeah, you go right ahead on that one." Annabeth nodded at him then shook her head. She left him in the kitchen and wandered around the house a bit. She looked at the simple paintings on the walls in hall and admired how simple yet antique they were. Scenes of old Georgia, depicting the land and mountains. They were beautiful, serene, calming. Then she spotted the old piano in the grand living room with rows of chairs and an empty coffin. She assumed it was where they held the ceremonies.

Setting her things down on a row of chairs, AB hobbled over to the bench and lightly touched the ivory keys. She smiled softly remembering the fun she'd have watching her grandmother play, her grandfather singing along with her and AB would just sit there next to her grandmother, admiring the love that she and her grandfather shared for one another. That was how love was supposed to go. It wasn't supposed to be harsh or painful in a way that you grew to fear it.

She tapped a familiar key and hummed. Her memory brought her to an old song that her grandmother taught her to play. Simple, but heartfelt. "Pack your things, leave somehow." She began to sing. It had been a while. "Blackbird's song is over now." She sniffled a bit and quickly composed herself as she began feeling comfortable with the keys. It had been well over many years since she'd played. In fact, she hadn't played since her Mamaw had died. "Mouths are dry, river runs. Hands are tied, preacher's son. Pack your things, leave somehow. Blackbird's song is over now." She played a few more notes before continuing again. "Don't be scared, I'm still here. No more time for crying tears."

She didn't even hear him come in and she didn't know how long he'd been watching her. She wasn't even aware of him there until he cleared his throat causing her to startle and miss a key. "Oh." She felt caught red handed.

"Uh, the place is nailed up tight." Daryl pointed out, stepping into the room. Annabeth turned to him on the piano bench and nodded. She watched him walk over towards the empty coffin and set his bow down on the sitting couch nearby. "The only way in is through the front door." He gripped the edge of the coffin and hopped inside still facing her.

"What are you doing?" She said with a soft chuckle and a shake of her head.

"Ahhh." He sighed. "This is the comfiest bed I've had in years." He said swinging his legs inside and scooting down so his head could rest on the pillow.

"Daryl, really?" She couldn't believe he was actually going to sleep in there.

He sighed again, his head now hitting the silk pillow. "I ain't kiddin'." Annabeth just rolled her eyes at him. "Why don't you go ahead and play some more? You're really good. Keep signin'."

She shook her head. "I'm not as good as Beth or even Maggie. I miss it, you know, singing with them for fun, helping time pass. Besides, didn't you say that all that signing annoyed you anyway. I believe I heard that a time or two."

"Well, there ain't no juke box so..." He pressed.

"Fine. Got any requests?" She smirked. He shrugged. "There's this song from when I was a kid that my grandpa would sing as my grandma would play. It's sorta like a hymnal to my home town.

"Alright, go ahead." Daryl pressed on. Annabeth nodded and turned back to face the piano. She took a moment to find the right keys with some ooh's and began. He watched her with soft admiring eyes.

"I'm a dead man walking here. But that's the least of all my fears. Ooh, underneath the water." She sang. "It's not Alabama clay that gives my tremblin' hands away. Oohhh please forgive me father." Her hands lifted from the ivory. "Ain't goin' back to Barton Hollow. Devil gonna follow me e'er I go. Won't do me no good, washin' in the river. Can't no preacher man save my soul." Her hands picked up at the keys again. "Did that full moon force my hand? Or that unmarked hundred grand? Ooohhh, underneath the water. Please forgive me father." Her hands stopped again as she came to the bridge. "Miles and miles in my bare feet. Still can't lay me down to sleep. If I die before I wake, I know the Lord my soul won't taaaaaaake." She held the note. She sang softly but still felt the power in the lyrics. "I'm a dead man walking, I'm a dead man walking here. Keep walking and running and running for miles. Keep walking and running and running for miles," she built up the vocals, "Keep walking and running and running for miles. Oooohhhhhh." She let out a breath and sang softly again, "Ain't going back to Barton Hollow. Devil gonna follow me e'er I go. Won't do me no good, washing in the river. Can't no preacher man save my soul."

She looked over her shoulder at Daryl. He was fast asleep. She smiled softly and stood quietly from the bench. She walked over to him and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight Daryl Dixon." She whispered and quietly left the room.


	11. Chapter 11

**I own nothing but AB, the song used in the previous chapter was Barton Hollow it belongs to The Civil Wars not Me! Please if you are reading and enjoying leave a review or two it would greatly inspire and motivate my muse! Thank you for the follows and favs! Enjoy-ZM612**

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Giving the table a once over, he seemed pretty satisfied with his surprise. He just hoped she'd appreciate it like the wanted her to. Stepping back into the room where they were staying, he watched her for a moment. He took in how her body was curled up, knees to her chest, sleeping soundly. She looked uncomfortable but it didn't seem to bother her. Her hair was back in a messy bun with a few whisps falling by her ears. Part of him wanted to reach out and tuck them back. But he refrained. He noticed how her soft lips were pursed together as she slept, her hands being used as a pillow under her cheek. She'd taken her boots off before bed and used the jacket she'd had on earlier as a foot prop between her ankles. Taking in a breath, he approached his sleeping beauty.

"AB." He nudged her gently, running his hand over her shoulder and resting it at her back comfortingly. He nudged her again from there and she slowly began to rise.

"Morning." Annabeth whispered. Daryl stepped back and let her sit up on her own. He watched as she composed herself, letting her body wake up as she stretched. "What's up?"

"C'mon, I wanna show you somethin'." He smiled.

"Alright." Annabeth grabbed her boots and slipped into them. She stood up and stretched again. He waited for her in the doorway and then grew impatient as he walked ahead.

"C'mon." Daryl pressed on.

"I'm going as fast as I can." Annabeth laughed as she approached him.

"Forget that." He said as he swooped her up in his arms as if she were his bride which elicited a gasp from AB and then a giggle. Elbowing the swinging door open, he carried her through the threshold with her still giggling. Her giggle made his stomach knot in a good way.

When they entered the kitchen, Annabeth's giggle ceased out of surprise. Daryl thought it was a dumb idea initially and her reaction proved him right the first time. He began cursing himself silently until he saw her face. She was grinning childishly at the table and then back to him.

"Here ya go." He said with a smirk as he sat her down in the chair. 'Wasn't a bad idea after all.' He thought as he came around the table to sit himself. "Alright, let's eat." He grabbed a jar of pigs feet and popped it open. Annabeth grimmaced again at the initial smell.

"Gah." She playfully gagged with a giggle and went for her jar of peanut butter.

Their blissful moment was interrupted by the sound of the cans Daryl had secured the night before rattling on the porch. Worry crossed over AB's face as he leaped from the chair, grabbing his crossbow. Annabeth stood to follow him but he pointed to her saying, "Stay."

There was no time to protest as he was gone and she just stood there listening, waiting for anything to happen. She'd be there as fast as she could if he needed her.

Daryl approached the door and opened it slowly. "It's just a damn dog." He hollered. Reaching for the little scruffy mixed breed, Daryl was nearly able to pet it before it yelped and took off running from the porch, rattling the cans again. AB came around the corner as he was shutting the door.

"He ran off?" She asked, her hands stuffed in her back pockets.

"I told you to stay back." He reprimanded her. The look she gave him indicated he was being overprotective for just a dog being at the door.

"Yeah you did. And I stayed. But Daryl, you said there was a dog. Not a walker. Nothing harmful." AB cocked her head to the side, being sassy.

"Maybe he'll come back around." He sighed. She was right. He was over stepping, slightly. "C'mon." He took her by the upper arm gently and led her back to the kitchen.

They sat and ate for a bit. Slowly enjoying what could be the only thing they eat for a while. Annabeth wouldn't touch the pigs feet and Daryl decided to keep them for later use.

"Do you ever think about what you'd be doing if all this changed for the better?" Annabeth asked. "Like if there were a cure and the world went back to the way it used to be.

Daryl shook his head. "Ain't gonna be the same, even with a cure. Too much has changed. No banks, hospitals, military."

"Yeah, I know. I mean,, but, what would you do?" She was curious to his answer.

"Don't know." He shrugged. "Wasn't much good at anything before. Probably be the same."

"No." She didn't believe his answer. "You're not that person. You're better."

"Well what would you do?" Daryl asked AB.

"I know what I wouldn't do." Annabeth replied. Daryl raised his brow waiting for her answer. "I wouldn't go back to medical school, even if there was one to go back to. Even if things were like this mess never happened." Annabeth looked down at her hands in her lap and then back up to Daryl. "I'd go home. I'd go back to the farm and make it mine again. If there were people there, I'd kick them out. I'd explain that it was mine or my family's for years and hope they'd just give it to me." She chuckled a little at the realization of how silly it sounded.

"But you said he sold it." Daryl reminded her.

AB nodded, "He did. But, it's wishful thinking. Good 'ol hope. Besides, I think we're stuck with this hell we're in now. So, it's a shot in the dark."

Daryl nodded. "Well, if it were different, maybe I'd go with you. Get out of Georgia."

Annabeth smirked. "There'd always be a place for you."

Silence swept over them again and they still enjoyed how comfortable it made them.

"You really think that dog will come back?" AB asked randomly.

"Don't know." Daryl shrugged. "Maybe."

"I had a great dog growing up." Annabeth looked up and beyond Daryl, recalling the memories. "Sadie. She was mixed mutt but I loved her. Me and my mom found her off to the side of the road one day heading up to my grandparents. Like she'd escaped or had been left there. She was a pup. Barely a year the vet told us. She was so loving. Protective." AB looked down at her spoon in the peanut butter. "She never liked my dad after she was in the room when he hit me. She stood by my side always. She's on the farm with my grandparents and my mom. It's where she loved it the most."

"Never had a dog, always wanted one." Daryl admitted. "Just couldn't afford it. Drugs and gettin' lit were the priority in my house. Especially after my mom died. She fell asleep with a menthol in her mouth and burnt the whole place down. I was a kid. Found out after playin' outside with my friends all day."

"That's horrible. I'm sorry." AB bit her lip.

Daryl shrugged. "Don't matter, it was a long time ago. But thanks."

"Ugh, I don't know about you but I need a break from all this gooey stuff." AB pushed away from the table. "My stomach's getting queasy."

"Here, let me help you up." Daryl offered.

"No, no. Sit, I'm fine." She smiled. "I'm going to find the little girls' room or something of that nature." He nodded at watched her walk away.

Daryl was certainly pleased with himself. His surprise ended up being a success and their bond was deepening. He enjoyed sharing things with her now that he hated to even dredge up in the past. When he spoke, she listened, wholeheartedly. She looked at him when he spoke, always making sure her emerald eyes connected with his. It was a show of respect that he wasn't necessarily used to but he liked it. A lot.

He now thought that maybe, just maybe, they could make this new place a home. Turn their temporary shelter into something permanent for at least time being. He felt an odd twitch in his stomach again at the thought of making something permanent with AB by his side. He couldn't press it aside any longer. He didn't know how to make it work, but he wanted something with AB and he already knew she cared for him. It would just take time to build. He wasn't in any sort of thing with anyone before the turn and now, like she had said, things were far more complicated. You were attached no matter what you did. How you felt. Being together with her was something he now craved. In it's full capacity, he wasn't exactly sure what that was but he was willing to figure it out.

When AB returned, the sun had begun to set. Neither had realized how much time had passed in their casual conversation and keeping each other company.

"Thank you." Annabeth said as she leaned forward on her chair. Daryl had positioned his chair next to her now instead of across from her. Her leg was propped up on his to rest her foot. She had found some paper and a pen in her search for the facilities. She had been doodling as she spoke to him.

"For?" He asked.

"This." AB nodded to the table. "It was really nice. No one's ever done anything like that for me before."

"You're welcome." He blushed a little. It didn't go unnoticed by AB either, not even in the candle light.

Changing the subject she sighed. "I'm going to write a thank you note."

Daryl watched her intently as she began writing. "Why?" He asked, taking another bit of jelly.

"For if and when they come back." She looked up at Daryl with a soft smile, her eyes bright. He continued to look to her as she spoke. "Even if they don't, ya know, come back, I still want to say thanks. It would make me feel better."

He looked away from her for a moment and took in their surroundings. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he thought. 'It's now or never Dixon. Here's your shot.' He thought. "Maybe you don't have to leave that." He spoke directly to his jelly jar, not sure of his feelings or secure with his words. They seemed to be coming from a different person as he said them. "Maybe we stick around here for a while." AB turned to him. If she was shocked by his comments, she didn't let on. "They come back, we'll just make it work." AB scooted closer to him, adjusting her leg, which now his hand was set upon. She could feel him tremble slightly through her jeans. "I mean, they maybe nuts, but maybe we'll be alright." He gave her knee a small squeeze again not know where his actions were coming from. It was instinct.

AB swallowed hard. This was definitely a different side of Daryl than she was used to let alone ever seen before. "So you do think there are still good people out there?" She smirked. Her skin felt like it were on fire under his touch and there was thick fabric to separate them. He shrugged with a slight not causing her to chuckle. "Well what made you have a change of heart?"

He looked to her, then back to his jelly, both hands again occupied by the sweet paste and the spoon feeding it to his mouth. "You know." He shrugged saying.

"What?" AB was going to get him to admit it and she didn't care how she had to press for it. She leaned forward more towards his as she spoke. She noticed him stiffen slightly but she didn't back down.

He was staring intently at her eyes, her lips, her eyes. He shrugged again and hummed an 'I don't know'. He leaned forward just slightly, setting the jar on the table.

"Don't gimme that." AB lowered her voice as she caught the side of his face with her hand before he had the chance to pull back further. "Tell me, what changed your mind?" She could feel herself now tremble slightly as she touched his skin. This was close, for both of them. His stare turned intense as his eyes gave away his answer. "Oh." She whispered.

"Yeah, oh." Daryl finally admitted. The words weren't there but they didn't have to be. They were on the same page. Annabeth made the first move before she could even process what was happening. Like she was moving on auto pilot.

Her lips softly brushed across his as he sat there. He didn't back away and only responded by slightly pressing his lips to her. Annabeth slowly backed away a bit and stopped when they were a couple of inches apart.


	12. Chapter 12

It was Daryl who came back for more. He pressed his lips to hers taking in their fullness, their softness. He dropped her hand from his face and took hers in his hands, bringing her in for a more firm kiss. However, Annabeth was the one to deepen the kiss. She let her tongue lightly trace his upper lip and he opened his mouth, allowing her access. Together their tongues danced, slowly, savoring the moment. Daryl took her thigh in his one hand and her waist in the other and re-positioned AB on his lap as they continued to slowly kiss. Both were running on instincts as they connected this way. Neither had really encountered such affections before but an outsider wouldn't have been able to tell that.

They finally broke away, needing air but they didn't separate far. Daryl pressed his forehead to hers as she kept her eyes closed, biting her bottom lip. AB opened her emerald eyes and saw his darkening blue ones staring deeply into hers as if he were going to kiss her again. But before he could, the cans on the porch rang out breaking them apart, along with the dog's bark.

Daryl nudged AB and she got the hint to stand. Grabbing a jar of pigs feet, he said, "I'm going to give that mutt one more chance." He stood and walked away leaving AB in the kitchen still reeling from their kiss.

When he was out of sight, she brought her trembling fingers to her lips and smiled. She'd wanted to know what that would feel like for some time and now that she had, she wanted more. She heard Daryl open the door and scream out her name. Her eyes widened at the panic in his voice. She came running with the cross bow. She tossed the bow to him and he caught it, his back barricading the door.

"Run!" He shouted to her. "Run!" The walkers were coming through the door and quickly. He was able to take one out and stall the pack as he ran after Annabeth through the house. "Annabeth, go out a window, get your shit." He yelled over the sounds of the walkers.

"I'm not going to leave you." Annabeth protested. There was no way in hell, gimp or not, that she was going to leave him behind. They hardly had enough bolts for both bows.

"Go out, go up the road, I'll meet you there." He was gesturing as he yelled for her to run. AB stared back at him horrified. "Now!"

There was no say in the matter. She had to leave. He needed her to go. Again he was saving her ass, like always. But this time it meant so much more, it was beyond different. He was protecting her with new meaning. She did as she asked, grabbing her things, the backpack, her bow and knife and headed out the back window. She stood in front of the house waiting as long as she could before having to run and not look back. As she reached the road, that was when she felt two arms grab at her, the backpack ripping from her frame. It was no walker that had her but a man, a strong burly man that smelled of chewing tobacco and sweat. He had a tight hold of her as he hushed her screams, tossing her into a white Oldsmobile from the late eighties.

Meanwhile, Daryl gathered the group in the basement but cornered himself in there as well. It was fight or flight and flight wasn't exactly an option. Using one of the medical tables as a barricade, he fired the only arrow remaining and grabbed a syringe and scalpel. Using those as his weapons, he stabbed various and numerous walkers in front of him before being overwhelmed and taking a huge risk. He climbed under the table and through the legs of the walkers themselves. Grabbing his bow he pulled the one arrow he had from the downed walker in the stairs and booked it out of the house before the group could turn around on him.

Coming out of the house, there were a few stragglers heading in and he darted past them. He was in a steady run for the road like the had instructed Annabeth to do. There was a single walker in his way and he busted it's head open with his bow, it falling to the ground.

He came upon the backpack, it's contents spilled to the ground. He looked up in time to see the white car pulling away, tires peeling out.

"Annabeth!" He yelled. He broke off in a run again, calling out to her, "ANNABETH!" Daryl now screamed as he began chasing the car. "Annabeth!" And the car turned the corning onto the paved road with Daryl still chasing after it.

The car drove for miles and Annabeth fought her way as best as she could. Her attackers were two men, one dressed as a priest and the other a thick looking thug type. His features were dimmed by the late evening but she could tell he was big and burly. Even if he were smaller in stature, he'd have no problem throwing her into the car given her thin frame. The priest hadn't laid a hand on her, he was the driver. She had nothing on her but her knife that was concealed at her side. The brute that had tossed her hadn't even stopped to think to check her for weapons. Her bow had been left behind at the house with Daryl.

Very slowly, Annabeth slipped her hand to the cold handle and carefully pulled it from the sheath undetected. Keeping it to her side, she waited until the priest and the brute started up a conversation again. Then it was now or never. Annabeth quickly jammed the blade into the brute's thigh as far as she could, nearly to the hilt. As he writhed in pain from the back seat, AB grabbed the driver's face and clawed at his eyes, causing him to swerve across the road. As the priest attempted to ignore his pain and grab the wheel, Annabeth took a deep breath, said a prayer and jumped from the moving vehicle.

She struck the asphalt hard and did her best to roll with the force but she landed hard on her shoulder and scrapped herself up pretty bad. She could feel the blood trickle down her face from a gash on her forehead. The car crashed into the ditch nearby and Annabeth knew she needed to get moving. No matter how much pain she was in.

With her good arm, Annabeth pushed herself up from the ground, her one arm tucked into her stomach to keep her shoulder from moving and her limp still strong from the trap, she hobbled down the road as quickly as injury would allow. She knew she wouldn't have much time to escape before the walkers were attracted by the sound of the crash and or the brute was chasing after her, bum leg and all.

She was weaponless and severely injured. Dawn was approaching and she had no earthly idea where she was, what direction they had headed. She knew she was miles from hope, miles from Daryl. Annabeth needed to find shelter or a weapon. Something to fend off any walker that she might come across. 'Come dawn, I can get a direction of up.' She thought. 'Weapon, Daryl. In that order. No stopping AB until you find him.' She coached herself.

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Morning broke and Daryl was still running. But he was growing damn tired. He kept telling himself to keep going but he was running out of steam and fast. At some point in the night, it poured down on him and he was soaked but he kept going. Daryl kept running. Finally, he could run no more. The tail lights had been long gone and he had no way of tracking her now. He came to a fork in the road and there he looked left, right and ahead before collapsing to the ground.

'FUCK!' He wanted to yell but instead bit down on his fist. Defeat consumed him. He had everything he wanted and she was gone. It was all gone. He made her promises of protection, safety and he failed her. He had no idea who'd grabbed her, where they came from or what direction they had taken her. Daryl felt the tears well up in his eyes and he squeezed his eyes shut to blink the back far enough. He didn't know what to do. Where to start. He felt like he had when this all had started and even before. He felt like a failure, like nothing. Empty.

'I will find you. I will make sure nothing ever happens to you again. We need each other to survive.

He wasn't sure how much time passed. Minutes, an hour or two. He still sat, now Indian style, in the middle of the road, soaked, chilled and empty. He might have even fallen asleep from exhaustion. He wasn't sure. The only thing he knew was that he was brought back to reality when someone approached him in black boots, jeans and a shotgun in hand. Then more men surrounded him as he looked up at the man who spoke.

"Well look at here." The man said. His voice was gruff. Daryl watched the man as he bent down to pick up his crossbow. But before the man could get his hands on it, Daryl clocked him with a good punch to the nose and stood, ready to fire his bow on the man. Five other men surrounded him and the man on the ground made it six.

"Damn it." The men shouted. "Hold up." He was on the wet ground touching at his now bleeding nose.

Another man with an compound bow, bolt ready, spoke. "I'm claiming the vest." Daryl heard the voice directly behind him but kept his sights on the man on the ground. "I like them wings." To Daryl, the guy sounded about as redneck dumb as he could from time to time.

"Hold up." The man from the ground spoke again. He was gray haired, a bit long in the length. He wore a jean and leather jacket with a tacky skull and rose button down shirt underneath. His was bleeding all over his mustache and goatee from the punch Daryl submitted him to. Wiping away the blood, he broke out into a maniacal laugh. He stood and spoke, calming his hysterics. "A bow man, I respect that. Ya see a man with a rifle, he coulda been some kind of photographer, a soccer coach back in the day. But a bow man is a bow man through and through." The man then gestured to Daryl's bow. "Whatdya got there, a hundred fifty pound draw weight?" It wasn't a question, more of an assumption. "I'll be donkey licked if that don't fire at least three hundred feet per second. I've been looking for a weapon like that." He sounded hopeful that it'd be his. "'Course I'd want one with a bit more ammo, and uh, minus the stains." He snickered and the minion wanting the jacket snickered along as well.

"Ya get yurself inta some trouble there partner?" The idiot spoke.

"You pull that trigger, these boys are gonna drop you several times over." The man before him spoke up again, silencing the idiot. "That what you want?" At this point, to Daryl, it almost wasn't a half bad idea, but he needed to find Beth and he had a feeling these guys might know where she was. He just felt it within him. "C'mon fellas, who's side's stupid?" The man's eyes narrowed. "Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people?" Silence filled the group of seven as Daryl still held his sights on the man who'd done all the talking. "Name's Joe." He said finally.

"Daryl." He introduced himself, lowering his bow. Joe nodded and Daryl finally looked at the five other men surrounding him. Something told him that he needed to be cautious with them. He also knew that he couldn't go on alone right now. Not without her. Right now, he needed help. Joe and his thugs might just be his ticket.


	13. Chapter 13

Come morning, Annabeth felt the sting of her wounds. The dried blood mixed with the gravel on her cheek bone itched, her shoulder cried out out for attention and her ankle felt numb from being swollen. Before she'd lost too much light, she'd found a tree with a v-shape separation in it's trunk just high enough to relocate her shoulder. It had hurt like hell but it needed to be done. She had kept moving through the night in the opposite direction of the car crash. The cold air hadn't helped her stiffness. It had been a miracle that she hadn't run into any walkers as she moved as silently as possible. She'd managed to hole herself up in an abandoned car for a few hours, when her legs couldn't handle anymore, much like she had with Daryl not long after the prison when down. Unfortunately, she found nothing of use as a weapon or supplies. Soon she found herself at a crossing. A fork in the road where the street crossed over the railroad tracks.

Daryl would have followed the tracks. She knew that. It was how their journey had begun in the first place. Now she merely relied on the grace of God and walked along the railroad counting the wooden slats and metal ties. She stepped carefully, making sure to avoid anything that would cause her limp to become a tripping hazard once again. A childhood memory of smashing pennies on the tracks with her grandfather came unbidden and made her smile. She could almost hear her laugh that had died so long ago.

She didn't know how long she walked or how far. Her senses were more focused on staying quiet and safe rather than tracking time. Eventually, Annabeth came to a sign. 'Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive, survive.' She read. Below the sign was a map with all the railroad tracks lined out in different colors. The tracks all intersected at a place called 'Terminus'.

AB looked around her. Nothing but tracks and Georgian woods. "Terminus it is." AB sighed. She could feel herself growing weaker by the miles. She needed water then some sort of food. It was early winter. There wouldn't be much around for berries or edible flowers. If she could at least maybe find some mint, she could be pardoned of her thirst and the rumbles in her stomach would stop.

Stepping off the tracks a few hundred yards, but keeping her direction, Annabeth searched for mint along her path. She managed to find some field mint growing in a small clearing. Squatting down to one knee, she plucked the leaves and examined them, checking for anything that would cause them to be non-edible. She placed a few leaves in her mouth and sighed. The taste was gratifying. Her mouth filled with saliva as the flavor invigorated her taste buds. It would have to do until she came across something more substantial.

Standing again, Annabeth heard shuffling in among the trees around her. She knew what the sound was and it wasn't good. She was unarmed, injured and the last thing she needed was a walker attacking. From the sounds of the shuffling, it sounded like more than one too.

"Fuck me." Annabeth groaned. She could hear Carol in her mind. 'Taken 'em down bare handed if you have to.' "If I had two hands." She thought to herself. AB mustered up what strength she could in her legs and pressed forward, her limp vanishing but with excruciating pain. She kept her arm close to her side. It was her shooting arm and she couldn't risk injuring it any further. Running was her best option.

As she took off running as fast as she could manage, Annabeth could hear the walkers pick up speed. She was definitely out numbered. She headed back towards the tracks but she only managed another hundred yards before her bad leg gave out on her and she tumbled again. This time, her face managed to scrape along the gravel between the slats, scratching it. The walkers were closing in as her lips trembled. She wasn't ready to die but if this was the way she had to go, she was glad it was alone. She didn't want to have Daryl or anyone she knew see her die. It was better this was she told herself.

The walkers were only a few slats away when Annabeth felt the rumble on the slats, looking up just in time to see a truck come her way with men firing on the group before her. Once the walkers were down, Annabeth heard footsteps and prayed they were good people.

"Miss, you alright?" A tall lanky man asked. He was dressed in cargo pants, boots and a hunting jacket. His voice was unrecognizable to her and as she tried to sit up from her position on the rails, she tried to bring him into focus. She'd hit her head harder than she thought. The man speaking to her, offered a hand and she shakily took it with her good arm.

"The name is Gareth." He spoke again.

Her world began spinning with black speckles in her vision. She opened her mouth to speak but instead her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she collapsed into his arms.

_The sun was warm on her face as it peeked through the thin cotton curtains from the window. The white linens clung to her frame as she slowly opened her eyes. Her hair had a glossy natural wave to it as it framed her face against the soft pillow. She looked to her right and noticed he was gone. She sat up looking for him in the bedroom, grasping the sheet to her bare chest as she did so. Her eyes focused on the red flannel on the chair by the door. She smirked remembering the night before. The passion, the heat, the Georgia summer making them sweat more in the night during their lovemaking , making it that more intense and intimate. Something about seeing him work the fields made her hot and bothered and it didn't take long her for her offer him lemonade and a roll in the hay of the barn and again in their room._

_Slipping from bed, her feet hit the old wooden floor boards as she padded her way to the chair and picked up the flannel, pulling it around her. She buttoned the middle three buttons and a glimmer of gold caught her eye. She smiled at the metal band around her left ring finger. He was hers forever and she couldn't have been more blessed. Leaving her room, she moved to the kitchen and found he'd made her some coffee already. Again, she smirked. She loved the way he always put her first, loved her for her and all her faults. The same was for him. She loved him more than anything she could ever imagine and knew how to read him unlike anyone else, even at his deepest and darkest days._

_Taking her mug with the morning brew filled nearly to the top, she walked down the hall from the kitchen and out the front wooden screen door. It clacked against the frame. She leaned over the railing, mug in hands and watched him. His back was to her as he worked under the hood of the old pick up. It had been giving him problems in the field the day before. She watched as he worked with the tools on the engine. His arms flexing with each turn of the wrench. His cut off button down was covered in grease as his red rag hung from his pocket. He set the wrench on the edge of the truck's engine compartment and reached for the rag, his golden band catching her eye. He hardly ever wore it, said it got in the way of working. She wolf whistled at him as he did so, grabbing his attention._

_"That's a fine sight to see in the morning." She hollered over to him. Daryl smirked at her as he left the tools with the truck and walked over to her. He stuffed the rag back in his pocket as he did so._

_Standing below her at the railing, Annabeth had to lean down to press her lips to his. His blue eyes smiled at her as they pulled apart. "Did you sleep a'right?" He asked. She hummed in reply and handed him her mug of coffee._

_"Like a baby." She replied. "Fix the truck?" She watched him step up the porch to stand before her. He set the mug on the railing and placed his hands on her waist._

_"Almost. It can wait." He said as he kissed her again. His eyes were darkening with each kiss, that flicker of passion beginning to ignite. He lifted her momentarily and set her on the railing. AB squealed at the cold feeling of the wood on her bare ass. She rested her arms on his shoulders and touched her forehead to his. She could smell the fresh smell of lit tobacco on his breath. Tasted it when they kissed._

_"You promised, no more smoking. Remember, it's bad for making babies." AB smirked. A growl escaped him at the thought of making more love to her. _

_"I thought I could get one in early this morning while you slept." He winked. She cocked her head at him and he knew he was busted. "Alright, last one I promise." And he nipped at her neck. Again she squealed and he lifted her from the railing, carrying her inside._

Annabeth smiled as she began to stir from slumber. She took a deep breath in, relishing in her dream until she realized she had awoken in a strange place. Panic was quick to consume her, her breathing coming in rapid gasps, as she took in her surroundings. It was a small, room, all white with the bed she was in and a single table. A glass of water was set by her bedside. She could hear voices in the hall outside her door. None of them sounded familiar. She looked down at her clothes, they were fresh, clean, not the ones she had collapsed in. Her skin seemed clean too, like she'd been given a bath. Suddenly, she felt violated.

A knock on her door set alarm bells off as she sunk into the mattress, covering herself with the sheet and blanket. The door opened slowly, a pair of eyes peeking through the narrow opening before a woman's body entered the room. She seemed older than Annabeth, her hair jet black with streaks of gray. Her eyes were slant and dark. "Good afternoon." The woman spoke as she brought a tray in and set it next to AB on the end table. " Nice to see you awake. I was beginning to worry about you. I'm Julie, I've been taking care of you since Gareth brought you in."

"Where am I?" Annabeth couldn't help the shakiness in her voice. "Where are my clothes?"

"Oh those old dirty things, they're in garbage dear. Don't worry, I took good care of you. Cleaned you up and got you some fresh clothes. Are you in any pain? I brought you some broth to start. You look like you haven't had a good meal in days. When you're ready, Mary will fix you up a nice plate." Julie explained. She still hadn't answered the important question that AB had asked first.

Annabeth knew better. She wasn't going to take drugs or food from people she didn't know. It just wasn't smart in this new world. "I'm not hungry. Thank you. And my pain is tolerable."

"Did you reset your shoulder yourself?" Julie asked as she looked over Annabeth.

She nodded. "Look, I just want to know where I am. I've lost my group and I really want to find them. Find him." In her condition, she felt vulnerable.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. Welcome to Terminus." Julie responded. "When you're feeling up for it, we'll get you a tour, and like I said, a good meal."

"Is there anyone here that came in with a crossbow? Rugged looking, dark hair, blue eyes? Sorta rough around the edges?" Annabeth had to ask. She had to know if he was here. Maybe anyone she knew.

"Oh, I don't know. We get people all the time. But when you're ready, you can go look for him." Julie said and walked out of Annabeth's room, leaving the door open.

Annabeth felt something off about Julie. She seemed too nice but yet not forthcoming enough with information. It made her uncomfortable, sketchy even. Terminus might not be the place she assumed it to be. 'Just relax AB, you're new.'

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, slowly testing her weight baring on her bad ankle. It was weak, bruised but she could walk. A slight limp would be around for a few more days but she had no choice, she needed to get up and see exactly what Terminus was about. A flannel shirt was slung on the edge of the bed, reminding AB of her dream but clearing the happy thought from her mind when she wondered where the shirt came from. These clothes weren't hers, only her undergarments were. The fact that she was cleaned up and lacked anything personal, kept her on guard. These people just cleaned her up without her consent. Annabeth slipped her arms gently through the sleeves of the warm shirt. Her shoulder was going to heal just fine. She had done a decent job at resetting it. It would be sore and tender but at least now, given the chance, she could possibly defend herself. If she had a weapon. She'd been found with nothing on her, but now she needed to find something. She wasn't comfortable without a weapon on her person anymore.

After lacing up her boots, the one thing of hers she did manage to find in her room, Annabeth left the confines of her room and ventured into the hall. The building she was in seemed like a warehouse. She looked below the catwalk and seen people milling about. She looked to her left and right seeing more rooms or offices as they might have been before the turn.

"Well, look who we have awake and well." That voice sounded vaguely familiar. Annabeth turned to her right and saw Gareth approaching her. "I see Julie has treated you well the last couple of days."

"I was out that long?" Annabeth grew worried. If Daryl wasn't here, if anyone she knew wasn't here, she'd lost valuable time in trying to catch up with any of them. Daryl especially as since she had no idea where anyone else she knew was.

"Definitely. Your head hit that pillow in there and you were out cold." Gareth commented. He reached for her cheek and Annabeth leaned back away from his forwardness. "I'm sorry. I was just looking at your shiner there. You were pretty beat up when I found you on the tracks."

"Thank you for your help. To be honest, I'd feel more comfortable if I had a weapon. I've been on my own for sometime and just don't feel comfortable without one." Annabeth stated.

Gareth nodded. "In due time. No offense, but I can't have just anyone walking around armed." Annabeth nodded. "Can I offer you a tour?"

"Better get to know my way around." Annabeth shrugged. She wasn't sure if she wanted to divulge her mission in finding Daryl to this Gareth guy just yet. She was sure she'd told that Julie woman too much already.

Gareth led AB from the building they were in to another where there was a woman sitting down reading a scripted broadcast while others created the signs and maps she had seen on the tracks.

"This is communications. We make signs and maps here to place at the tracks while out on runs. Although we've been pretty set for some time. This place is a sanctuary. I want you to know that. Come this way." Gareth led her from that warehouse towards another through the other brick buildings. She noticed very little people mulling around unlike when she was at the prison. This just felt forced, odd. She was uneasy but hiding it well.

"Are you the one that always gives tours?" Annabeth asked as they stepped into a makeshift courtyard where people were milling around a barbeque, waiting for a plate. Tables were made from old wire barrels and lawn umbrellas.

"No, but I figured since I found you, I'd be a familiar face." Gareth smirked. "Annabeth, this is Mary. Mary is our resident chef. She likes to man the grill."

Mary smiled at Annabeth. She couldn't help but notice how the older woman gave her a once over. Annabeth only nodded in greeting. "Would you like a plate?"

'What is it with these people and food?' AB thought. "No m'am. I'm not hungry." She replied with a hand up. Mary nodded and went back to her duties.

"C'mon, I'll show you the church." Gareth took Annabeth to a small rounded building with darkened windows. Inside dozens of candles were lit with inscriptions and mementos on the floor. Her tour there seemed rushed and she didn't exactly get a chance to see what it was all about. On the other side of the door and building a man Gareth referred to as Alex met up with them. "Alex is going to show you to your quarters. We'll see you around."

As Gareth left, Alex took Annabeth to a taller building. "In here, we have a cot set up for you. It's not as private as your first room, but those are for medical use."

The two people stopped just outside the building. "How long has this place been here?" Annabeth asked.

"Since the beginning." Alex answered with a shrug. He handed her something from behind his back. It was a small 9mm hand gun and a spare clip. "Not that you'll need it right now but just in case. Gareth wanted you to have a tour first."

"Is he the one in charge?" Annabeth asked taking the gun and inspecting it. She made sure the safety was on and placed it in the band of her jeans, behind her back, the spare clip in her back pocket.

Alex nodded. "One of many. We have a council. And rules. Just don't do anything stupid and everything will be alright for everyone."

AB couldn't help but wonder what he was talking about but those questions would have to wait. She wasn't ready to move to sleeping quarters but she did want to see more of the compound. "So out of this big place, this is it?"

"There are some areas off limits to everyone aside from the council and that is the back two buildings where the tracks round the communication center and the back fence. Other than that, welcome to Terminus. If you're feeling up to it, we can get you on a watch duty by the end of the day." Alex offered. "There is other work too, gardening, washing, medical."

"Watch is fine." Annabeth nodded. She wanted to explore this place and a watch duty would allow her just that.

"Alright. It'll be small at first, mostly interior sweeps. You have to be here a while to get full compound and yard duty around the perimeter."

"I understand." Annabeth nodded.

"Alright, well, have a nice day and make yourself at home." Alex smiled as he left Annabeth in her position. It was odd, she felt as if she had eyes on her constantly. She would do a sweep for Daryl and figure out how the hell she would get out of Terminus as quickly as possible.

A/N: Ah-ha! A note at the end of the chapter this time! I hope you're all enjoying this fun ride! Don't forget to check out the other story on the profile, "You Bury Me"! And please R&R this bad boy! Your reviews help! Trust me! Like it, love it, hate it, say it! - Z


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you to those who are reading. We're ending our journey soon but have no fear, we'll be back with a sequel come...DUN DUN DUN, OCTOBER! I know it sucks but don't forget about me. There will be other stories and there is one currently posted titled 'You Bury Me' so check that one out too! Please don't forget to R&R! It's all greatly appreciated. Good, bad and ugly! Thoughts from you, the reader, is always helpful! Constructive criticism! XOXO ~ Z

Nightfall came and Annabeth had kept to herself for the majority of the day. She'd not eaten anything and hunger was the least of her worries. She'd moved around the areas she could looking at people, scanning for anyone she'd recognize, but mostly for him. She had to know if he was alright, alive, anything. He had to have been wondering the same of her. At least she had hoped he was wondering. She could remember hearing him shout for her as the car sped off with her in it. He screamed her name as he ran after her. She could have sworn she could still feel his lips against hers if she closed her eyes long enough.

There was a curfew for Terminus residents that was a strict rule to be abide by. Only those who had watch were to be out of their rooms or quarters. Annabeth wasn't very good at following rules. And when the final quarters check was over, she waited a few minutes longer before sneaking out. She made sure the safety was off of her gun she'd been issued and stepped quietly and carefully. Rounding the corner to a building that had been marked off limits, she saw Gareth speaking to Alex and another man. She ducked behind the corner so she wouldn't be seen. Her ankle was throbbing but Annabeth had to hear their conversation.

"Should we use the fresh meat or hold off and see if they turn to our side? Given a little time in the quiet box." The man said.

"Mouths to feed out weigh their futile resistance." Gareth spoke.

"What about the new girl?" Alex spoke. Annabeth knew he was speaking of her. 'What the hell are they talking about?' She thought as she strained her ears to hear more.

"She's to be untouched. She's skeptical, but may be useful in other ways. She'll come around." Gareth spoke to Alex directly. He turned to the other man in the shadows. "Give them another day or so. They arrived just before her."

The man nodded and left. Annabeth couldn't exactly see the direction he was headed but she was able to track him to the area that was restricted. She was very curious as to why Gareth and Alex were talking about her and useful situations while all the while discussing people who'd arrived before her. There were strange sounds coming from stacks cargo containers, like sounds of people sleeping, whispering, whimpering. She caught sight of the man she was following heading between two buildings towards a container near the back fence. Annabeth stopped in the shadows and watched him. He climbed the ladder to the container and dropped some things from the top hatch.

Her brows furrowed in frustration. She knew there was some sneaky shit going on in Terminus, but she had yet to figure it out. Faint light had been coming from the moon able to illuminate the yard across from where she was hiding. She noticed piles of things, small to large things sitting on the ground within a fenced off area. Cocking her head to the side slightly as if confused, Annabeth stepped forward towards the chain link fence.

She may have been tired, dehydrated and slightly weak but Annabeth's eyes weren't failing and right now they weren't deceiving her. Those were bones, fresh bones, some with meat on them still. Squatting down, her weight sifting to her better leg, Annabeth peered closer. If she wasn't mistaking, even in the faint light, those were human bones.

"You're not supposed to be out here." A rough voice spoke directly over her should. Annabeth wasn't apparently as hidden as she expected.

Fear was evident in her eyes as she turned to look over her shoulder. "What the hell is this place?" She slowly began turning her body to face the voice. It was the man she'd followed to the area.

"Our own little corner of Heaven meets Hell. Enjoy doll face." The man was large, gruff sounding, bulky. Annabeth felt her hands tremble as she stood. The gun was still concealed, the now warm barrel against her back.

"What are you going to do with me?" She asked, her voice full of the fear her eyes had been filled with.

"Me, nothing. But you're going to have to tell Gareth you were snooping." He grabbed her arm and began dragging her away from the fenced area. She tried to put up a fight but the man dragging her was stronger, healthier.

Gareth and Alex were still in the same place Annabeth had first discovered them talking with the brute dragging her to him. She was putting up a decent fight too, yelling and causing a commotion. More noises erupted from the stacked containers, making it now apparent that there were people in there. Their cries silenced Annabeth as she was thrown to the ground at Gareth and Alex's feet.

"Sam, I told you she wasn't to be harmed." He knew she had run off, broken curfew. Watchmen were equipped with radios, someone had to have called it in to him as she was drug across the yard.

"She's feisty. Would have put up more of a fight had I not been grabby." Sam defended his actions.

Gareth reached for Annabeth to pull her up to her feet but as he did so, Annabeth grabbed for the gun she'd been issued. She pulled the trigger but as she did so, Gareth swiped the gun from her, AB's shot missing. The sound of the blast caused more commotion as people began coming from their quarters to see what had been going on.

"Nothing to see here everyone. Just go back to bed. It's alright. She's just weak, delusional." Gareth tried to maintain order as people were curious about the girl before them and their leader. He turned to Sam and Alex, "Take her to the communications center. I'll be right there." He then turned to the gathering crowd. "Go back to bed everyone. We'll make sure our new guest gets the appropriate medication and nourishment she needs. She's been out there on her own a while and we all know that from time to time supplies out there dwindle."

As people began retreating to their cots, quarters, and rooms, Gareth left for the communications center. He had thought Annabeth would be different than the recent group that had entered his sanctuary. When they didn't want to play by the rules, they'd fought back. It's why they were confined in the container. But Annabeth, she could be swayed. He could sway her. When Gareth arrived in the communication center, he could hear her yelling at Alex and Sam. He saw her in a chair, hands tied behind her back.

"You son of a bitch! Let me go. I want to leave and I want to leave now." Annabeth yelled now towards Gareth as he appeared with the two other men. "I didn't come here for this. I will not eat people. You're some sick and twisted fucks."

Gareth snickered. "Annabeth, you really should stay. This place is a sanctuary. Those who arrive, survive." He was close to her face now.

"You saved my life to eat me." She snarled. "

"You're delusional. Exhausted. Weak." He spoke softly to her as he reached for her face. Annabeth tried to rear back away but it wasn't happening. "You just need to have some medication and food and rest. You'll see, we're good people here, Annabeth."

Annabeth looked up at Gareth through her long lashes. She spit heavily in his face and his reaction was to backhand her causing her other cheek to redden and lip to crack. "Bit me you fucker."

He wiped the spit from his face with the edge of his shirt. "Don't tempt me, he smiled ferally, "I like it." Annabeth could feel the bile rise in her throat. "Sam, radio for Julie. We're going to make sure this pretty woman rests."

Annabeth's eyes grew wide as she heard Sam radio for the woman she'd met earlier in the day. The woman appeared within minutes with a syringe in hand. Annabeth struggled against her restraints. "Please, no! HELP! HELP ME!"

"Quiet now child," Julie cooed as she smoothed back Annabeth's hair, holding her steady for Gareth.

"What a shame, something so beautiful refusing to bend to our rules." Gareth took the syringe from Julie and removed the cap. He pulled at the shoulder of Annabeth's flannel shirt, exposing the skin of her shoulder. "It pains me to do this, really it does Annabeth." The syringe plunges in as the fluid floating in her blood stream makes her limbs heavy and envelops her in warm darkness. The last thing she heard was Gareth saying, "In she goes."

His eyes were swollen shut, dark circles forming under them already. Blood trickling from his mouth had already smeared his cheeks but still it trickled down his stubble chin. A gash on his forehead bleed and caked his hair to his face. His body was limp, his hands collapsed at his sides. He was filthy, dirt and road grime clung to his clothes. She watched looking for any sign of a breath, not realizing she was holding her own.

She could hear Carl screaming. It came in low at first and then it grew louder until it was clear. She heard Rick's voice in the same pattern, silent then louder. A gun shot was heard, causing her to stand straight for just a moment to see what was happening. Rick was on the ground, trying to get to his feet, Carl was struggling under a large balding man. Michonne was firing at someone and then another and another.

Everything was happening so fast that it seemed to blur around her as she turned her attention back to Daryl. He was still unconscious. Seeing the two men nearby, gun shot wounds and one with their head caved in, she knew that there wasn't much time until walkers came from the sounds of the gun. Her world was spinning out of control, fragments coming into focus here and there. Soon she'd blocked out everything around her as she tried to shake him awake. She laid her head to his chest, praying to hear anything. She heard nothing, "Don't you die on me you asshole, not now." Those were the only words she heard. As she began to yell his name, she lost the sound of her own voice. "Daryl!" She cried out. "Help, Daryl!" She began shaking him harder and harder, "Wake up, Daryl! God damn it!" Louder she tried to yell, but nothing came out. "Daryl!" Every word was muted. Sobs overcame her. She knew that her people were around but no one would come to her aide.

It seemed to happen so fast. He was out cold, maybe not even breathing. Not even alive and as she laid her head on his chest, sobbing over her now apparent loss, she felt it. It was slight, but she felt it. Felt his body twitch. "Daryl?" She still couldn't find her voice. Again she felt it. Before she could sit up, she felt his hand on her, grabbing at her. She sat up as best she could and that was when his hand caught her throat, cutting off her airway. His once beautiful blue eyes yellowed and clouded over. She continued to gasp for air, struggling against his grasp. She could feel herself losing the battle, her air supply diminishing rapidly. His hands would soon crush her larynx rip her throat out if she didn't break free. Her eyes began to flutter and roll as she continued losing air.

Annabeth woke gasping for air. She was in complete darkness. Feeling hands on her, pinning her down, she began thrashing around, screaming. At first, nothing came out, her throat dry and raspy from gasping in her sleep state. Slowly, very slowly, sounds began coming into her ears. She heard soothing words, a voice that seemed vaguely familiar. It was a woman's voice. A thick Southern accent that was soft and honey sweet.

"Shhh, Annabeth, it's okay." The voice came from someone stroking her hair. Annabeth couldn't see who it was, she could only hear. Wherever she was it was still black and at that it was a blurry darkness. She felt her eye lids droop and open as she instinctively tried to collect herself.

"Mama?" Her voice was finally found and it was hoarse.

"It's Maggie." Her friend replied. "So is Beth, and Glenn and..."

Maggie didn't get the chance to finish her sentence. Annabeth grabbed her and pulled her in tight, sobs wracking her beat up and worn down frame.

"Hey, it's alright. We'll get out, we will." Beth was speaking to her now as Maggie hugged her friend and rubbed her soothingly on the back, attempting to control the sobs. Beth placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hang on to hope, AB."

It took some time, but eventually Annabeth calmed her sobbing down to whimpers and sniffles then to just sniffles before she pulled away from Maggie. "These are horrible, horrible people. Things happen here that..."

"We know." Glenn stated from nearby in the shadows.

"We have to get out of here." Annabeth spoke softly, her throat still suffering. "I have to find him."

"Find who AB?" Maggie asked.

"Daryl." Annabeth stated. She went on to explain what had happened when the prison fell, her cries coming again as she realized she was with her friends, her family. The sisters who'd lost their farther. She whimpered through the rest of her story, from running for what felt like days to losing Daryl at the funeral home. She spoke of her escape, the emotional damage heavy, and then she told them of her past twenty four hours in Terminus.

"We've been in here for a few days. They tossed you in here the day after we arrived." A man's voice she didn't recognize spoke up.

"Who are you?" Annabeth asked.

Glenn decided to answer for him. "Abraham. He's here with Eugene and Rosita who Tara and I ran into on the road before finding Sasha, Bob and Maggie. Tara found me at the prison."

"We came here seeking refuge and hoping to get more people to get us to Washington, DC. Eugene knows how this whole thing started and knows how to create the cure." Abraham added.

Annabeth moaned and rubbed her temples. "Jesus." Her head felt like it was caving in. She suspected that Gareth gave her a heavy dose of morphine. It explained the hallucination she now realized she'd had about Daryl. Glenn's story and Abraham's side note about a cure was just too much to handle. "How do we get out of here?"

Silence came over the group for a few moments. Abraham came up empty, the man with the cure, Eugene, Annabeth remembered Glenn had said he was, drew a blank. Along with Tara, Rosita and the rest of the girls. Finally, Glenn spoke up.

"I have an idea."


	15. Chapter 15

Night had fallen on his group. They weren't ideal people but they were a group and right now he needed a group. The night before was difficult. They'd found an abandoned garage and stayed there. Tensions were high within the group because of his fight with the idiot. Daryl didn't even care to remember his name, he just thought of him as the idiot. Joe knew the dumbass was lying and his life paid for it. Daryl found the man's body outside the garage in the morning, arrow to his skull. No doubt from Joe's arrows himself., even maybe the idiot's and someone else fired.

His mind that night had given him more than his fair share of nightmares and memories. The nightmares hardly woke him anymore, unless they involved her. Until he lost her, he'd never given it much thought. But the more he thought of her, the more he realized how much she had begun to mean to him. He had realized his feelings had materialized for her when they were at the funeral home. He'd never admit it to anyone, maybe not even her, but he very much enjoyed the feeling of her lips on his and the way he felt inside at the way she fit almost perfectly in his lap as he kissed her or she kissed him for the first time.

Women were a hard thing for Daryl. Half the time he wasn't interested because he had no idea how to act around them and the other part of him wouldn't touch the ones he knew either because his brother had already had a piece or just from his experiences with women they weren't something he wanted to tangle with. From his mom, the chain smoking drunk, to those he'd seen his dad bring around, bar rats and druggies, he'd never seen anything like AnnaBeth Strong, independent but not to a fault where she still had emotions and needed people, him mostly as she had told him.

Joe stopping ahead of him and sending his men into the treeline halted Daryl's thoughts of Annabeth and brought his attention to the situation at hand. Joe looked back at Daryl and motioned for him to stay back. Daryl shrugged, not knowing what else to do other than follow the order, realizing it was his perfect time to take off. He wanted no part in whatever Joe and his group wanted. He was just thankful for the numbers as he secretly looked for AB. Daryl grumbled a sigh, she was back on his mind. He supposed she'd never really left, not since she was taken from him. He wasn't going to give up on finding her, he just had taken a side road with no other real choice.

If he were the Daryl that he once was, the one that was influenced by his older dickhead brother and his harsh up bringing, then he'd probably been more inclined to stick with these guys. But he wasn't that Daryl anymore. Some would say he had gone soft, others would say that he's coming out as the person that always hid behind Merle and their redneck ways. Either way, he knew he had changed. This world, the things they'd all be through, that changed him. She changed him. That night at the distillery shack changed him. They connected, bonded in a way that had shocked him to the core.

"Oh deary me. You fucked up asshole." Joe held the gun to the man's head as more emerged from the bushes. He had kept a distance back, trying to figure out the best time to ditch the group. "You hear me, you fucked up."

Joe and the rest of the goons must have found the guy they'd been tracking since Daryl ran into them at the crossing where he'd lost Annabeth. He couldn't make out the man but could hear Joe's voice.

"Today is a of reckoning, a day of restitution. The balancing of the whole damn universe. Shit and I was thinking of us turning in for the night on New Year's Eve!" He couldn't make out the man but could hear Joe's voice. It was dark and a truck was blocking his view. "Now, who wants to count down the big ball with me?" The bastard was crazy, he was actually counting down to ending this guy's life.

He was strongly debating on if now was the right time until he had gotten a closer look at the man with the gun to his head, the woman with the dreadlocks beside him. '_Holy fuck._' His mind raced and he had to think fast. "Joe!" He called out, stopping the countdown. Rick and Michonne met his eyes and his felt his insides swell with thankfulness and fear at once. His emotions showed in his voice as his words wavered slightly. "Hold up."

"You're stopping me on eight Daryl." Joe scoffed.

"Just hold up." Daryl said as he entered the center of the circle that the goons had created, all weapons trained on Rick and Michonne. He's crossbow remained at his side, still a finger on the trigger. The hair on the back of his neck stood as he processed everything.

"This is the guy that killed Lou, so we ain't got nothing to discuss." A goon from behind said.

"The thing about these days is that we got nothin' but time on our hands." Joe said, he'd guessed their newest member knew these people.

Daryl knew he had to reason with Joe, no matter the cost. "These people, you're gonna let 'em go." He demanded. His voice was soft but gruff and cold. "These are good people." He reasoned.

"Now I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I of course am gonna have to speak for the poor bastard's behalf because your friend here killed him in the bathroom." Joe told Daryl. Daryl kept his eyes on Joe as he attempted to negotiate for his friends' release. The tension was thick.

"You want blood, I git it." He tossed his bow to the side along with his buck knife. "Take it from me, man." His hands were up showing he was unarmed. "C'mon."

"This man killed my friend and you say he's good people." Joe looked shocked that he'd even want to take him on. "That's a lie, right there, a lie."

Daryl felt the defeat wash over him. He knew from his tussle with the idiot that Joe didn't stand for lying, it was one of his rules. And before Daryl saw it coming, the goons attacked. His stomach be the butt of a riffle harshly while the other kicked him to the ground. Beating him and dragging him towards the truck, Daryl felt the world crash in around him. He heard Joe calling for lessons to be taught and while he tried to defend himself, he was thrown into the hood of the truck before falling, recieving blows to any possible square inch of his body. The kicks were hard, the punches harsh and while it all blurred around him, the voices of Rick and Joe mingled with a single gun shot. They beat him more when a second round fired and he was tossed back into the truck. He could hear Carl crying and screaming as the fat one laid on top of him. Horror coursed through his veins as he realized what these people wanted with his friends.

Then for a moment, the world stopped and things seemed to move in slow motion as his mind tried to work with his eyes and focus on Rick and Joe, the latter hitting the ground, a mess of blood coming from his neck. Now was everyone's chance to turn things around. Time for them to take control. Michonne fired the gun she now possessed at the man hovering over Carl while Daryl took his turn to attack his stunned attackers. Michonne shot one and then again turned her gun on to the man with Carl, as he held a knife to his throat. Daryl took out the other goon that had attacked him by beating him to the ground and stomping his head into the road with as much force as possible.

"Let the boy go!" He heard Michonne say. When his attacker was disposed of, he turned to his friends as Rick approached the man holding Carl hostage. Michonne rushed to Carl's side as Rick stabbed the piece of shit over and over again, making him suffer for attempting to rape his boy. Daryl watched as Rick lost control, justifiably, and looked past the incident to Carl and Michonne as they looked on. Michonne's eyes turned away but Carl kept a cold dark gaze at the murder.

Life was nothing but full of running, surviving and killing. After tonight, they would all be changed people.

Dawn came and all that remained of the frightful night was carnage. Michonne stayed with Carl in the truck as Rick and Daryl kept useless watch outside. The bodies were dragged to the side of the road by Daryl while Rick sat staring into nothing at the tire.

The hunter approached his friend with a bottle of water and his red rag, handing it to him. Rick protested, saying it should have been saved to drink but Daryl shook his head. He scoffed, "You can't see yourself, I can." Rick took the rag and began wiping his face of the dried blood as Daryl took a seat beside him. "I didn't know who they were. What they could do."

"How'd you wind up with 'em?" Rick asked, giving his friend his full attention.

Daryl chewed on his words a moment. In all the chaos, he'd momentarily forgotten about her in order to save his friends, to save himself. He'd saved himself however he realized to still find her. He knew he'd have to explain but just wasn't ready to admit she was gone. "I was with Annabeth." His voice took a somber tone that didn't go unnoticed by Rick. Daryl paused a moment again, taking in a deep breath, "We got out together." His mind began flooding with their time together. Getting out, staying together, the distillery, the funeral home, it all flashed so fast he felt his chest constrict. "We were together a while."

Rick watched the mix of emotions take over the hunter, how he had a hard time finding the words, forming them, speaking of the blonde Rick no doubt now realized Daryl had felt something for. "Is she dead?" He asked the question Daryl couldn't seem to tell.

Daryl looked to his friend, eyes full of sadness and maybe even a tear or two, "She just gone." He shrugged and shook his head. Rick wasn't going to jump to any conclusions and Daryl was thankful he'd left it at that. "After that, that's when they found me. I mean I knew they were pieces of shit, but they had a code. A simple, stupid code, but it was somthin'. It was enough to get by, move on."

"You were alone. It's understandable."

"I wasn't supposed to be." Daryl eluded to he and Annabeth but moved on, "They said they were lookin' for some guy and last night said they'd spotted 'im. I was hangin' back, gonna leave. But I stayed." He admitted almost shamefully. "That was when I saw it was you three. Right when you saw me." Daryl felt the shame that he'd been feeling since letting Annabeth down once again overwhelm him. He swallowed hard. "I didn't know what they could do."

Rick saw the guilt in the hunter's face. He shook his head as he watched Daryl hang his. "I'ts not on you." Rick pressed. Daryl didn't look to him. "Hey," he called for him, "it's not on you. You right here, right now, being back here with us right now, that's everything."

Rick watched Daryl struggle with his words. He saw his chest heave with emotions that he was trying to press back. Daryl took his eyes off of Rick and dropped his chin again, swallowing back the impending cry he wanted to release. Rick's next words shocked him, almost sent him over the edge of emotion.

"You're my brother, Daryl. Nothing gonna change that."

Daryl just looked at his friend, his brother. It would take time to feel right with the words but he knew them to be true. With all things, he always needed time to accept. But he wasn't given that kinda of luxury anymore. Life moved at a fast pace and he felt humbled, honored, thankful to have someone like Rick Grimes there for him when it seemed he never truly had anyone.

"What you did last night, anyone would have done the same thing." Daryl nodded to Rick.

"No, not that." Rick recognized the monster within himself that escaped the night before as he ripped Joe's throat out with his teeth, arms incapacitated at his sides.

"Then that ain't you, somethin' changed." Daryl pointed out.

"You saw what I did to Tyreese. We ain't that good. Not me. It's why we're all here now. Carl too. I want to keep him safe, that's all that matters to me. I ain't gonna lose him too." Rick explained.

Time passed for a bit with the hunter and the deputy sitting on the road beside the truck. Eventually Michonne and Carl emerged and they began walking with what little they had back down the tracks. One goal still in mind, Terminus. The walk was quiet, Daryl bringing up the rear with Carl as Michonne and Rick kept the pace of their group.

They'd been walking for a few hours before coming across a fallen sign for their destination. Daryl figured that by the time the sun had gone down, they'd be there. Rick was hesitant to continue along the tracks for they hadn't a single clue what they would be walking into. After Woodbury and the Governor, he had every right to be cautious. The decision was made to take the rest of their journey through the woods, Daryl taking lead this time with Rick then Carl and then Michonne behind him.

Just as he had predicted, by sundown, they had come across their destination. Choosing to arrive there by the woods instead of the tracks, placed them on the outside fence hidden within the treeline. The place looked large, expansive with it's brick buildings and train containers.

"Mustave been a depot or something for the tracks." Daryl commented. Rick nodded as he surveyed the area.

"We all spread out, watch for a wall, see what we can see." He looked back to his family, the tight knit group of people he'd known for sometime now. All with their weapons ready. "Get ready, we all stay close."

Daryl walked off a few paces ahead of the group. He didn't like the way this place was set up just by the looks of it. Something bit at him within his deepest gut feeling that this place might not be what it seemed and for that, he was extra cautious. After checking around a bit, he met up with Rick as he was exchanging guns from the bag he carried. The pistol he'd carried with himself since he met the deputy was being placed in the bag and swapped out for a smaller piece. There was a silent conversation between the two men and Rick shrugged before telling Daryl that it was just in case they needed them as a back up. That assumption was enough for Daryl to know that he and Rick seemed to feel the same about the brick building "sanctuary" before them.

By the time Rick had the bag buried, Michonne and Carl met up with them. They scaled the lowest part in the fence that Daryl had found, entering the grounds of the so called 'Terminus'. With weapons ready, they began a jog between a set of buildings as if to attempt to blend in or not be noticed by anyone who might have seen them scale the chain link fence. They found a door set ajar and entered the building, hearing a woman's voice speak. Weapons hot.

Daryl was the first to enter the lit room from the hallway and saw people buzzing about, creating signs, banners, posters. The woman at the radio was reading along with a sheet of paper.

'...Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive, survive.'

Rick caught her attention as he said hello. By no means was anyone's guard down, but their weapons were. The older woman that sat at the radio seemed startled by his appearance. It was then that someone stepped forward from the busy group.

"Well it seems that Albert is on watch again." He was tall, a bit lengthy and he seemed annoyed with the intrusion of people in the room. He dropped the paint brush he'd been using in the paint and spoke directly to Rick. "Are you here to rob us?"

"No." Rick shook his head. "We wanted to see you before you saw us." His tone was direct, words short.

"That would make sense." The man stepped forward to them as Daryl tried to get a read on the guy. He didn't like the ill feeling he had to begin with and this guy's annoyance didn't exactly settle his unease. "We usually do this were the tracks meet, but, welcome to Terminus." He said, extending his arms open as if gesturing to the group in the room with him, a collective welcome. "I'm Gareth." At least there was a name to the creep. "It looks like you've all been on the road for a bit."

"Yeah." Rick replied. He went down the line, introducing those that were with him to Gareth and the people behind him, their full attention on the intruders.

Gareth gave a quick wave in hello to the other three people. "I get that you're nervous. We were all the same way. We came here looking for sanctuary. Is that why you came here? Is that what you're here for?" Gareth was now a few paces closer to the prison group or what was left of it.

"Yes." Rick nodded.

"Well you found it." Gareth smirked. Daryl definitely wasn't liking this guy. His gut was usually right when it came to trusting people, he'd been burned enough to learn his lessons early. He listened as the guy called over for someone named Alex to take them to the front of the property, where "the welcome wagon is much prettier. But first, we need to see everyone's weapons. You can just lay them down in front of you."

Daryl grumbled inwardly a bit. He didn't like this idea at all. He wanted to give the benefit of the doubt but something in the back of his being was pulling at him not to trust this place one it. To be overly cautious. It took a moment, but Rick agreed to the inspection and to Daryl, what Rick says, goes. Alex commented on Daryl's now black eye as he was patting him down and Carl simply stated that the other guy deserved what he had coming.

"Just so you know," Gareth went on, "we aren't those kind of people. But we aren't stupid either. And you shouldn't be stupid enough to try anything stupid. As long as we're all clear with that, we'll only have solutions."

Alex inspected everything and led the group towards the front. Daryl walked along side him to feel him out. Rick would trust his judgement if he questioned anyone's tactics here.

"So how long has this place been here?" Daryl asked Alex, who was shorter than him, just about as lengthy as Gareth.

"From about the beginning." Alex answered looking back to the hunter. "A lot of camps got overrun and started finding this place. It seemed like it came out on instinct, you know. Folks came from all sorts of directions. The coast, out West, North. But they all ended up here." He stopped them in a court yard after passing by a small garden and laundry station. A red headed woman, older but not elderly, stood, manning a makeshift grill, tongs in hand, meat over the wood chips.

"Hi. Heard you came in the back door." She said. "You'll all fit right in."

"Hey, Mary, would you mind fixing these new folks a plate for me?" Alex asked of the woman and she nodded in reply.

"Why do you let people in?" Michonne asked. Daryl was still observing the scene around them, keeping his ears on the conversation. Things weren't adding up. He glanced back at Rick and the same seemed apparent to him.

"When people become a part of us, we get stronger." Alex answered, taking a plate from Mary and handing it to Carl. "We invite people in, we're stronger in numbers. It's how we survive."

It was then that something clicked with Daryl just about the time that Rick grabbed Alex, demanding to know where he got the watch in his pocket. That moment, that split second that everything dawned on the hunter and the deputy, all hell was going to break lose. Rick's gun was pointed at Alex's head, Daryl's bow trained on Mary as she gripped her gun at her side. Michonne and Carl had weapons drawn on the group in the area, who in return had their own drawn on the newcomers.

Daryl's eyes observed the group as he still had his bow trained on Mary. He saw riot gear that had no doubt belonged to someone from the prison, an orange hiking pack that he was almost positive that Glenn had with him at one point but the most obvious possession was his poncho that he knew he'd left behind. A blonde girl was wearing and it for a brief moment he had hoped it was Annabeth but when she turned to the commotion, he saw that it wasn't her. It wasn't his girl.

These scene only became more hectic as a sniper appeared on the rooftop. Rick acknowledged him and Alex began panicking. Rick kept asking about the watch and Alex came up with an excuse how he'd found it off of a dead guy. That watch was definitely Hershel's watch and the last person Rick knew to be in possession of it was Glenn.

"What about the riot gear? The poncho?" Rick screamed in Alex's ear.

Gareth approached from behind and answered. "The riot gear came from a dead cop. The poncho was on the clothesline."

"Gareth, we can wait on this." Alex looked to the leader before the leader replied for him to shut up.

"You talk to me, not anyone else." Rick kept Gareth's attention.

He shrugged off the threat. "There's nothing left to say. Your trust is gone."

"Gareth..." Alex tried again.

"SHUT UP!" Gareth held his hand to the man begging. "It's okay. What do you want Rick?"

"Where are our people?" Rick wasn't playing this game anymore and neither was Daryl. His suspicions had been right about this place deemed a sanctuary.

"You didn't answer the question." Gareth closed his hand and the shots began raining down on the group. The sniper had taken out Alex and Rick shouted for his people to run, get down and take cover. He fired a shot at the sniper missing as Daryl let a bolt go closest to someone approaching. The group ran and ran between the buildings before they entered an open one. It was a dead in. Turning back to another exit, they found themselves outside again, this time running through a demolished, burnt out and bullet hole ridden part of this make shift town. Bullets were still raining down on them as they dodged them. Shots were being fired at their feet and only their feet.

Daryl guided them between more buildings as they ran from the shots. Along the way, Rick noticed decaying bones sitting on a tarp, behind a fenced off area. Given no time to investigate, it only solidified that this place was a new form of hell. As they ran towards a warehouse with it's roller door opened partially, they ran past stalked shipping containers. Containers that were sounding with noise. Shouts of help and hollers begging to be let out while whatever or whoever was inside banged to be released.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Daryl shouted but Rick urged him to continue.

The ran into the warehouse, moving down a hall. Michonne was the first through a door leading to a room lit with candles, mementos on the floor surround peoples names.

"What the hell is this place?" The hunter asked as he read the writing on the walls, 'never again, never trust we first always' and then looked to the floor at the names and offerings.

"These people, I don't think they're trying to kill us." Michonne pointed out.

"No they're aiming for our feet." Rick said. "There, now." He directed them to a door across the room only to find that they were to be locked in. It was then that Daryl spotted another one and this time they were able to get out.

Finding themselves dodging more bullets and a dead in as they met with the fence, guns raised upon them, they had no choice but to stop running and meet their attackers. The order to drop their weapons was given by Gareth from the top of a building. Distastefully the group did so.

"Ring leader," Gareth was now referring to Rick as, "go to your left. The train car, go, now." Rick hesitated and Gareth knew how to press him forward. "You do as I say and the boy goes with you, you don't and he dies and you end up in there anyway. Your choice."

Daryl watched as Rick made eye contact with this son, assuring him they'd be alright before turning and walking to the train car, gun left on the ground behind him.

"Now the archer." Gareth hollered at Daryl to join him next. He followed directions and followed Rick. "Now the Samurai." Gareth directed Michonne. She too followed suit. "Stand at the door, ring leader, archer, samurai. In that order."

"My son!" Rick called for Gareth to release his boy.

"Go kid!" Gareth instructed and Carl followed. As Carl walked towards them, Gareth instructed Rick to head inside the train car but he protested saying he wouldn't do it without his son. "Don't make me kill him now!" Gareth fought back.

Rick opened the door to the dark container and stepped inside. Daryl and Michonne following him. Finally Carl was in with them as someone closed the door behind him.

Daryl had moved to the far corner of the car when he'd entered. Michonne hung back until Carl was safely inside. Rick took his son by the shoulder and guided him towards Daryl, Michonne following. A clunking sound made Rick turn and look at the other side of the train car. He could barely make out shadows of figures. The hair on the back of his neck stood as he prayed they weren't walkers and that they were trapped, defenseless.

Someone stepped forward cautiously, and it wasn't until he'd heard his name that he relaxed. "Rick?" The figure questioned.

He recognized it to be Glenn. Daryl stepped forward to his side as Maggie stood by Glenn.

"You're here." Rick was shocked but so pleased to see his family. He watched as Sasha, Beth and Bob joined then and said it again, "You're here." Relief washed over the faces to Daryl and Michonne. Carl too. Daryl looked at his friends, his family and saw there were still an important face missing. Deep down he had hoped at first that when he had arrived at Terminus, so did AB, but now, seeing the predicament they were all in, he hoped that whoever had her, she was safe.

Rick looked to the three behind his group, a glimmer of recognition of one of them but set that glimmer aside.

"They're our friends." Maggie explained as she caught Rick's glance at the newcomers. "They helped save us."

"Yeah, now they're friends of ours." Daryl nodded. He wasn't sure what to feel. Elation, happiness, sadness, guilt, anger or frustration. It was all running through his mind and his heavy heart.

"Daryl?" A quiet, hoarse voice called from the dark corner. He felt his chest constrict and his heart jump to his throat as he watched the figure appear clearly near Maggie, limping from where she'd emerged from, her arm held to her side. Her hair was down and a mess, her face swollen from various things.

His breath left him in a whoosh as he took her in his arms. Her lip quivered as she took in his scent, his comfort and then sobs wracked her frame. She brought her hands to his jacket and gripped it with all her might, pulling him closer to her. He whispered in her ear soothing words and gently touched his lips to her temple. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by the deputy and their friends.

"I found you and I ain't ever lettin' ya leave again." He whispered as he felt Annabeth begin to relax under his touch.

She tilted her head back wanting to see his eyes clearly. They looked glassy like he was obscuring tears of his own. "You alright?" She reached her hand up to touch his black eye.

"Ain't nothin'." He commented and pulled her close to him again, looking at the others. No words needed to be spoken or things questioned as they watched the hunter cement his feelings for the woman before them. It was the closest anyone had seen him get to a woman in the time they'd all been together.

"Enjoy your time together now, for however long that'll be." Annabeth heard Abraham say. She looked to Daryl again and nodded. Her eyes spoke to him of a horrible feeling he had and Rick stepped forward.

"No." He said. He looked to the people around him. He had what was left of his family in front of him and wasn't about to let these people down and let the people of Terminus destroy his family. He's lost that battle with too many others. He was waging a war and it started here. "They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out." He walked over to where the door had shut and peered through a slight opening in the steel.

"Find out what?" Abraham questioned. The entire group watched as the deputy contemplated something, a plan maybe? An escape? Revenge for sure.

"They're fucking with the wrong people."

A/N: Well... it would be said that this is the final chapter until our favorite group comes back on the small screen. However, it's not! A kind reader has convinced this Mama to continue through the summer! So let's see what can be "cooked" up for our favorite couple and their "family". Who's down for the ride? Read and review! Questions, comments concerns, click the review button below and drop a line! Don't forget to check out "You Bury Me" too and drop a line there! Until next time Dead-heads! - Z


	16. Chapter 16

Determination was set in the deputy's face. Silence filled the train car as they all waited for Rick to further develop his plan. Annabeth remained in Daryl's arms. His hold on her was firm, protective. For those around, the scene was dire and something needed to be done.

"What do we know of this place?" Rick asked.

"Not much." Glenn shook his head. "We weren't here very long before being thrown in here. Same for AB."

The Asian man looked to the woman in the hunter's arms as did Rick and she pulled away from Daryl just slightly. "This place is not good. I'm pretty sure we're locked in here for a reason. We're boxed up to be human veal." AB felt Daryl's grip tighten on her as she further explained. "They ain't denying it either."

"That's about my guess." Abraham sighed agreeing with the blonde. "It's getting dark again. That's gonna make three maybe four days in here for us. Ain't had much to eat or drink but some powdered milk and water."

Rick took in the information carefully. "When do they bring it?"

"Dawn." Maggie replied taking Glenn's hand. "We aren't the only ones trapped in these things. There are others."

"Yeah we heard 'em." Daryl gruffly pointed out. "'Bout the same time they were shootin' at us."

"We rest tonight. I'll figure out a plan. We can't be locked in here more than a few more days." Rick figured.

"You know what this is right, what his plan is?" Annabeth pointed out. "They're expecting us to weaken, to starve and then when we're knocking on death's door, that's when it's bullets on Broadway. They'll stretch it as far as they can just so we don't turn."

Rick thought about what she said. This wasn't going to be an easy escape. They were unarmed, spare weapons stashed on the other side of the compound, buried in the dirt. "Give me the night, we'll figure out something."

Side bar conversations came about as they all started to help devise a plan. It was then that Daryl turned to Annabeth. "You need to rest. Let yourself heal up."

"I don't want to. I want to help." Annabeth protested.

"Ain't nothin' ya gonna be able to do in here." Daryl argued. "I'll sit with ya for a bit." He guided her to the wall closest to them and helped her sit before joining her. Rick watched him and when Daryl met his gaze in the dim light, the deputy nodded, telling the hunter to take care of his girl. Annabeth waited until Daryl sat by her before resting her head against the wall behind her. She took a deep breath in and winced.

"What happened to ya?" Daryl asked boldly taking her hand in his. Public affection wasn't something he was used to but he was just beside himself that she was alive and decently well for what it was worth. That he had her back, that they had found each other. Guilt still pained him deep within through for giving up so quickly in his determinations of looking for her. But Joe had come along and he knew that it was fight and die out numbered or join up and survive no matter how fucked up their tactics and system was.

"Ain't nothin'." Annabeth mocked his response to her original question. A squeeze of her hand told her he demanded more of an answer. "When I ran from the house, this big guy grabbed me, threw me in that car. There was this priest or something behind the wheel. I heard you yell, I saw you running but I couldn't get out. We drove off and a bit down the road, the guy that grabbed me was distracted enough and I was able to grab my knife. He took it to the leg while I clawed at the driver. Before the car landed in a ditch, I bailed. Hit the road pretty hard, banged up my hip and dislocated my shoulder." She paused a moment and looked up at Daryl's shocked expression. A small smirk spread across her lips as she continued, "I set it myself with a tree. Hurt like a bitch. I kept through the night, at dawn I headed into the woods to keep cover in case they were looking for me. I found myself surrounded by walkers and that's when Gareth found me."

Daryl nearly growled at the mention of the captor's name. "Did he do that to 'ya?" He touched her face gently. AB nodded.

"Him and a couple others. I'm fine though. Just a little banged up, ain't nothin'." She sighed. "You should have been here when I woke up in here. They drugged me up with morphine and knocked me out before tossing me in here. I came too after this horrible nightmare and Maggie and Beth were there to pull me out of the haze. We've been working on a plan the last couple of days but nothing's been concrete."

"I'm gonna kill the son of a bitch." Daryl felt the anger rise within him. No one should ever put their hands on a woman, let alone his girl. He felt the need to watch her more than ever, the desire to protect her at all costs, even if it meant his own life. He knew she was capable of handling herself, but there was no way he'd back down. Coming so close to losing someone forever before things really got start sure made ones true feelings transpire quickly.

Annabeth felt her heart swell at his sudden protectiveness. Daryl would always protect the group at all costs but things were different for them now. After all they've been through together. She knew the true meaning behind his words. She felt it change was the shine house even before they came across the cemetery and funeral home. Their first kiss only sealed the deal.

Carl speaking up diverted their attention from one another. "Dad, I've got an idea."

"Alright." Rick let his son speak.

"What if I acted like I was sick, they'd have to let me out help me." Carl detailed his idea. "When they come to give us the milk, we can say that I'm not feeling good and if what AB says is true, they'll want healthy meat instead of risking us all getting sick and losing a food supply."

"When did you get so smart?" Michonne commented with a slight joking tone to her voice.

"Think about it, it makes sense." Carl said.

"I'm not risking you like that." Rick shot down the kid's idea. "We need an end game, a heading."

"We don't even have a map." Tara spoke up from the back. She had been quiet since Rick and the rest had stepped foot into the train car.

"We'll get one, one way or another." Rick continued. "They come at dawn, we'll ambush the door. Then one by one all get to the far end of the compound, there's a bag of guns stashed there. Whatever anyone does, take cover and don't get caught."

"That's not going to work." Beth meekly said.

"She's right. They barely open the door enough to get the food in." Abraham's voice mocked the word food. "And at that, they're armed when it's open."

"They announce weapons at ready before opening the door, you can hear them load one in the chamber." Bob added.

Rick seemed defeated at the added comments from the group. He had to go back to the drawing board. Things were quiet for a while as everyone seemed to be pondering their own ways to get out of the train car and leave Terminus unscathed.

"It's not like we can just tell them we're sorry for being here and leave. They won't let us do that. Not if we're...food." Rosita broke the silence.

"You know, Rick, you might be against Carl's plan, but it's the most logical right now." Annabeth sat her head up from the hunter's shoulder. "It may be dark, but I know you're looking at me like I'm nuts. You all probably are. But just think about it. He's right." The group were a little closer together for warmth as the night air cooled the container considerably. "If one of us is sick, that gets us all sick, and they'll loose supply when demand is scarce, and there's a vendetta now on us."

"But who's to say that won't just cause them to come in here and shoot us all." Eugene, the quote on quote scientist of the new bunch added.

AB frowned at his words. For someone so smart he sounded stupid. "Because we're the supply they need. We don't know exactly how many people are in this place. It's big, we've only seen parts. At least I have and what I saw, wasn't promising. This is no sanctuary. Those who arrive don't survive." Daryl squeezed her hand in the dark. The shadows provided more of a cover for his new found desire of affections. Annabeth's too. She squeezed his hand back and sighed. "I can try and go with him."

"Like hell." Daryl grunted. Out of the question he though to himself.

"I'm the next one banged up pretty bad, plus he's gonna need a guardian, collateral for Gareth. You know he's not going to take you, Rick and anyone else here is out of the question." Annabeth pointed out.

"She's right." Maggie sighed. She didn't like where she was guessing Annabeth was going with this.

"Thank you." AB said to the darkness.

"I agree with Daryl." Glenn spoke from somewhere in the group.

"I appreciate it, I do." Annabeth grunted, "But, it's the only way."

"What the hell ya talkin' 'bout?" Daryl asked.

"It's a hunch but he said something about how it was a shame I didn't want to bend to their rules. That something so beautiful couldn't sway. That it pained him to hurt me." Annabeth admitted. Daryl dropped her hand. He was furious, there was no way that he was going to let her become the live bait for the latest monster in their game of survival. Annabeth felt the cold air as his hand left hers. She knew he was pissed. The body language beside her spoke volumes. He was tense and trying to control his breathing the way he would when he would get upset. She'd seen it before but never was it directed in her direction.

Again silence came across their already hushed discussion. More contemplation within the group. Finally, Rick spoke up. "As much as I'm inclined to say otherwise, Carl and AB have the right idea." It didn't take a number of guesses to realize who had shuffled their feet and stood to walk away from their huddle. Footsteps, even his usual quiet ones, could be heard stalking off to the opposite end of the train car. Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut quickly realizing she and Rick had both hurt one of the few people that meant the world to them.

"When they come at dawn, we'll accept the handout. In the afternoon, Carl will act like he's ill, we'll call someone over to negotiate his release and explain that Annabeth will join him. She'll need her wounds to be tended to as well then from there, AB it's up to you and Carl." Rick laid out.

In the dark, Annabeth nodded. "They'll take Carl and I to the infirmary, where I was when I first arrived. One way or another I'll secure a map and the next step will be to get us out of here. If they bring us back, we'll be ready for the next time they come. One way or another, we're all getting out."

A loud thud was heard as his fist met with the metal of the car. It startled the group and Annabeth assumed that it was Rick who stood to go find his friend in the darkness. Annabeth struggled to stand but did so and whispered that she needed to handle the disgruntled hunter. She limped over in the direction she'd heard his footsteps go and felt her away around. She could hear his breathing close by and hushed conversation began behind her as Carl was receiving instructions from his father about the plan.

"Talk to me." Annabeth reached out for the warm body she felt nearby. He flinched away from her touch.

"Ain't you listenin'?" Daryl barked in a hushed whisper.

"It's the only way." She whispered back.

"It ain't." Daryl argued. "You ain't bait."

Annabeth swallowed. "I know I'm not, I'm the advantage we have. Our way out of this." She heard him grumble. Again she reached for him and this time she managed to get a hand on him. She placed her hand on his chest and kept it there, her other tucked to her side still. "I'll come back. I'll always come back to you." She felt beneath her hand as his chest began to rise and fall again quickly, again his emotions trying to be silently controlled. Her stomach fluttered as he brought his calloused hands to her face, cupping it there between them.

"Promise." He whispered. He felt vulnerable and he hated it. He hated that she made him feel that way but reveled in it just the same.

"I promise." She whispered. She then felt his lips against hers, the softness was surprising, his gentle pressure sending a wave of emotion over her. It was the first time he'd kissed her first and the first time their lips had touched since the funeral home. There was a sense of urgency to his kiss, like he was trying to memorize the feel of her in case it would be their last. There was no deepening of their kiss, just a firm but full kiss. When they broke apart, Daryl pressed his lips to her forehead. Together, they walked back to the group, him supporting her limp.

They stood when they joined the group for a moment, listening to Rick finish telling Carl that he was to listen to Annabeth no matter what and if the plan changed in the moment then she led the charge.

"You know the question now is where do we go from here?" Michonne asked. "If we get out."

"D.C." Abraham stated affirmatively.

"Why there?" Rick asked sensing the urgency in his tone.

"Eugene is a scientist. He knows how this whole thing started and how to cure it." He explained. "It is my soul mission as I told Glenn and your people here that I do whatever in my power to get this man to Washington D.C. safe and in one piece."

"What the hell?" Daryl wasn't buying it. Deep down not many were but they barely knew the man. Annabeth knew him just a day or two shorter than Rick and the rest. Glenn had spent the most time with them and wasn't exactly convinced.

"D.C. is our only option." Eugene butted in.

"Say we believe you, what happens if we don't make it there? We die, you die, then what? You can't be the only person." Michonne pointed out the obvious.

Annabeth had been quiet. They needed a back up, a fail safe or something close to it. "Home." She spoke softly. "We go home...to Alabama. It ain't much but it's a farm like Hershel's was. Same size, maybe bigger. There would be room for all."

"If it's still there." Daryl whispered. He remembered their previous conversation about returning to her family's farm, sold or not, she doubted it would have been the same as she'd remembered it. But it was a better heading and idea than Washington D.C.

"If it ain't, its out of Georgia." AB sighed. "Regardless, we need to get out of here and as far away as possible. We can head to D.C. for now but if for one minute, no one thinks it's the right idea, we speak up and vote as a group."

"Annabeth is right. We don't know Eugene or the lot of you. We know our family, our core group and seeing as you're friends of ours now, we can do right by that. But the minute things are questioned, you have to let us vote." Rick spoke into the group. It wasn't obvious where everyone was exactly situated in the dark.

"I can reason with that." Abraham agreed.

"Let's get some sleep as best as we can. Come morning, we get the hell outta here." Rick suggested and he was met with no argument. Rustling sounds filled the train car as the group settled in for the night. Some shuffled to it's far corners, most likely Glenn, Maggie and Beth, possibly Michonne and Carl. Rick, as Daryl and AB could tell sat by the door, giving himself enough space to peer through the gap. Daryl helped Annabeth down in the general area where they were standing, close enough to Rick to be his right hand man if anything were to happen in the remaining hours of the night.

Daryl wasn't comfortable still with the plan for the morning but he now had to agree that it was the only option. There was still a lot of room for error and that was the part that didn't settle well with him. Not with Gareth thinking that he could claim what was him. He wanted so badly to shout claimed at the top of his lungs the next time he'd see the Terminus leader, claim Annabeth as his but it wasn't that simple. He cared deeply for her however circumstances and his inability to express that loomed over him. His back was against the wall as Annabeth sat beside him. He helped her lay down, her head in his lap and he ran his fingers through her hair. He could hear her wince as the hard metal aggravated her injuries but they had no other means. It would have to do.

That simple gesture alone cleared all pain and fear away from Annabeth as she slipped into the darkness.

A/N: Wow, updates are on fire for this one! Hope you like what's happening so far... there is some major drama comin' up! Don't forget to R&R and check out the profile for this Mama's other project, You Bury Me - XOXO ZM


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